Iran Ready To Start Sending 600k Tons Of Free Fuel To Lebanon
Iran has reiterated its offer to send 600,000 tons of fuel to Lebanon over the course of five months to help the country deal with its power shortage.
Iran has reiterated its offer to send 600,000 tons of fuel to Lebanon over the course of five months to help the country deal with its power shortage.
According to Lebanese TV station Al-Manar, Iranian officials told a visiting Lebanese technical delegation on Tuesday that Tehran is ready to start the shipments.
On Monday, Iran's embassy in Beirut said tankers could be in Lebanon within two weeks. A Lebanese energy ministry spokesperson said they were unaware whether the fuel import deal had been struck but said "any gift from anywhere is welcome".
If the deal goes through, it would be Iran's first supply of fuel directly to the Lebanese state. The Islamic Republic previously sent some shipments of fuel to its ally Hezbollah, an armed group that is part of Lebanon's coalition government.
Earlier in September, two Lebanese government sources said Beirut was about to send a delegation to Iran for talks on acquiring “free fuel” after Iran's Ambassador Mojtaba Amani proposed an Iranian "gift" of fuel to the country.
Lebanon has been struggling with outages for decades but its economic meltdown since 2019 has drained state reserves and slowed down imports of fuel for government plants, leaving most of the country with just one or two hours of state-provided electricity per day.
Lebanon has natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea but a boundary dispute with Israel has so far prevented gas extraction that could help its economy.
The delivery of free fuel to another country is a sensitive issue in Iran where an economic crisis has impoverished millions of people, while the government has failed to reach a nuclear deal with the West, which could end economic sanctions imposed by the United States since 2018.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that Mahsa Amini “should be alive today,” referring to the 22-year-old who was arrested on September 13 by the religious police for her loose hijab and two hours later delivered to a hospital in coma.
“Instead, the United States and the Iranian people mourn her. We call on the Iranian government to end its systematic persecution of women and allow peaceful protest,” Blinken wrote.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also tweeted about Mahsa Amini’s death, saying “Her death is unforgiveable. We will continue to hold Iranian officials accountable for such human rights abuses,” adding the trending hashtag of #MahsaAmini.
But as protests unfolded in several Iranian cities and towns on Monday and the center of the capital Tehran was the scene of thousands of protesters confronted with ninja-like anti-riot police, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, sanctioned for his culpability in human rights violations, stepped down from his plane into US soil in New York.
Iranian activists and US lawmakers had urged the administration for weeks to deny a visa to Raisi and his large entourage, but the White House still entangled in nuclear talks with Tehran apparently had issued the permission long ago.
Hundreds of people left comments on these tweets, saying that mere expression of sorrow or support are not sufficient, and the United States should do more to show it supports Iranians. Many also commented that Riaisi should not have been given a visa to go the New York to attend the UN General Assembly.
An Iranian, Nasim Behrous replied to Sec. Blinken, “Iranians know very well that such tweets are just a political gesture with no practical effect and deep down you are also aware that the Iranians’ desire are not peaceful demonstrations & ease on women’s rights, but overthrowing the regime. You absolute double-dealer!”
Another Twitter user replied to Blinken saying that Mahsa Amini’s “blood is on your hands too,” for negotiating with the Islamic Republic with the possible end result of lifting sanctions, “sending them money so they could afford more suppression.”
A few Republican lawmakers opposed to a nuclear deal with Iran also criticized the administration.
“As Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrives in the United States on a visa granted to him by the Biden Administration, the American people stand with the brave Iranians who are coming together once again to protest the regime’s brutality,” Rep, Claudia Tenney tweeted. Sen Tom Cotton also tweeted against granting a visa to President Raisi.
The European Union’s External Action arm of the Diplomatic Service issued a statement condemning Mahsa Amini’s death. “What happened to her is unacceptable and the perpetrators of this killing must be held accountable,” the statement said on Monday.
France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday also condemned the arrest and violence that lead to Amini's death. In a statement, the ministry said that her death at the hands of Iran's morality police is "profoundly shocking" and called for a transparent investigatiion.
Raisi has dismissed any suggestion of meeting or speaking with Joe Biden in New York, as the US President also will be at the United Nations on Wednesday when both are scheduled to deliver speeches. Iran has refused to have any direct contact with American officials during 17 months nuclear talks held in Vienna and elsewhere. The EU acts as the mediator in the talks.
