The Secretary-General of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said on Friday that an agreement was made to begin loading a third ship with Iranian fuel to alleviate the severe shortage that Lebanon is facing. He stated in a televised speech, "We agreed to start loading a third ship."
He added, "The coming days will prove wrong those who doubt the ships carrying fuel... Discussions will be clear when the first ship arrives in Lebanon."
Nasrallah mentioned on Sunday that the first ship carrying Iranian fuel for Lebanon had already departed. Hezbollah's opponents in Lebanon warned of dire consequences from the purchase, stating that it risks imposing sanctions on a country whose economy has been in collapse for nearly two years.
Earlier on Friday, appointed Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in an interview with the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath channel, expressed his opposition to anything that could harm Lebanon's interests, but also urged critics of the Iranian fuel deals to provide assistance to prevent the country from having to resort to Tehran.
Nasrallah blamed the country's economic crisis on what he described as the economic blockade imposed by the United States, adding that the so-called Caesar sanctions law imposed by Washington on Syria also harmed Lebanon.
Addressing the United States in his speech, Nasrallah stated, "Please make an exception for Lebanon regarding Iranian gasoline and Iranian diesel... Please make an exception for Lebanon from the Caesar law."
Lebanon's escalating fuel shortage has reached a crisis point this month, threatening to paralyze aspects of daily life. Nasrallah also urged senior politicians to stop discussing names for the new government and expedite its formation, saying, "Isn't it time for this discussion to end?"
Lebanon is currently being managed by a caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab, who resigned with his cabinet following the Beirut port explosion that shook the capital a year ago. Mikati is the third appointed Prime Minister since then attempting to form a government with President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah.
