Students suffer from the cold due to the absence of heating means at a school in Akkar Governorate, northern Lebanon, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Habashiti/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah's leader on Tuesday accused the United States of preventing Lebanon from taking free fuel from Iran even as his country suffers from power outages.
"Iran's fuel offer is still existing, but the U.S. has been preventing Lebanon from accepting it," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
Nasrallah called on Hezbollah's rivals supported by the United States in Lebanon to obtain a sanctions waiver from Washington.
"We have an opportunity to solve the fuel crisis, and you, America's allies, must benefit from your relationship with the U.S. to bring an exception for Lebanon to receive the Iranian fuel," Nasrallah said.
According to Nasrallah, Lebanon's access to Iranian fuel would allow the country to secure four hours of power supply on a daily basis for six months to help solve the electricity crisis in the country.
Hezbollah is a Lebanese armed group and political party backed by Iran.
In September 2022, Iran said it was prepared to provide Lebanon with 660,000 tonnes of gasoline as a "gift" to ease electricity cuts in the crisis-hit country. However, the United States later warned that Lebanon might be subject to U.S. sanctions if it imports Iranian oil.
Lebanon has suffered for decades from power outages. Its economic collapse since 2019 has burdened the state's treasury, slowing down fuel imports to maintain the operation of the remaining power plants. ■
A heater which does not work due to lack of diesel is seen in a classroom of a school in Akkar Governorate, northern Lebanon, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Habashiti/Xinhua)
A man lights a wood stove for heating in his house in Akkar Governorate, northern Lebanon, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Habashiti/Xinhua)
A man chops firewood for heating in Akkar Governorate, northern Lebanon, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Habashiti/Xinhua)
A man walks past a store selling wood-burning stoves in Akkar Governorate, northern Lebanon, on Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Habashiti/Xinhua)
