October 8, 2026
The US State Department categorically refuted reports that Hezbollah received Iranian financial transfers worth $200 million, considering that the party is promoting these stories through anonymous sources in an attempt to “save face” and demonstrate its ability to recover after the heavy losses it suffered.
In an official position, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigot stated, “Hezbollah has every reason to pass on stories like this through anonymous sources. It can claim whatever it wants, but the money does not exist,” noting that the party caused the suffering of hundreds of thousands of innocent Lebanese and fought a war on behalf of Tehran that left billions of dollars in damage.
Pigot explained that the Iranian financial situation does not allow such transfers, pointing out that Iranian oil exports are besieged and the local currency is collapsing, while the regime is experiencing an increasing state of anxiety. He stressed that Washington will continue to strangle the party’s resources through sanctions, in parallel with supporting the efforts of the legitimate Lebanese government to reconstruct the south.
Pigot added in a direct message: “Even if this compensation payment were real, it would not be enough. Under President Donald Trump’s administration, Hezbollah will never recover, nor will it rebuild its terrorist infrastructure.”
The American position came in response to an exclusive report published by Reuters, in which it quoted two people it said had direct knowledge of the transfer process, saying that last September, Hezbollah received $200 million from Iran to support the displaced. According to the report, the plans included allocating an initial amount of $3,000 to each of the estimated 50,000 affected families, bringing the total amounts assumed for distribution to $150 million.
The two sources reported that the delivery of funds was carried out at a “high cost,” as the intermediaries charged a commission of 20% (about four times the usual rate) due to the risks and tightening of supervision, adding that traditional financing channels through financial companies in Iraq and Dubai are no longer available, and that routes through Turkey are facing increasing pressure, without providing additional details about the entry mechanism or the identity of the intermediaries.
In a comment that did not resolve the controversy, a Hezbollah official told Reuters that a sum of money had been secured and its distribution plan would be announced in the coming days, without specifying its value or confirming its Iranian source, while no official comment was issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, its mission in Geneva, or the Lebanese government.
The conflict remains between the categorical American denial and the narrative based on unknown sources, amid open questions about the actual value of the money that arrived and the path of its transfer, especially with the party’s admission of securing a sum of money whose size was not disclosed.
