The US administration has designated Hezbollah as an organization under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, defining it as an Iranian rather than Lebanese organization, and stating that all sanctions imposed on the IRGC will apply equally to Hezbollah, according to The Zioneer.
The US administration has issued a formal designation defining Hezbollah as an organization under the direct command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, classifying it as an Iranian rather than Lebanese entity, and stipulating that all sanctions levelled against the IRGC now apply equally to Hezbollah.
The move marks a significant hardening of US policy toward the Lebanese group. In June, the US State Department described Hezbollah as "Iran's most dangerous proxy" and accused it of plotting attacks on Americans, as reported by The Zioneer. In August, The New York Times reported that IRGC commanders had been placed directly on Hezbollah's leadership council, effectively integrating the group into Iran's chain of command, according to sources cited by the paper.
The new designation effectively eliminates any legal distinction between Hezbollah and the IRGC under US sanctions law, subjecting the organization to the full scope of Treasury and State Department restrictions already applied to the Iranian force.
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