Prime Minister Nawaf Salam receiving John Hurley, Sebastian Gorka and Rudolph Atallah on Nov. 10, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with an American delegation specializing in sanctions and counterterrorism, which is visiting Lebanon to discuss ways to cut off Hezbollah’s funding sources, on Monday at the Grand Serail.
According to a Lebanese official quoted by AFP, the delegation — led by Sebastian Gorka, the White House’s chief of counterterrorism — delivered a “firm and clear” message to Lebanese authorities, urging them to actively combat money laundering.
The official, who requested anonymity, said the U.S. demanded “concrete actions before the end of the year.” Specifically, the delegation called on Lebanon to “fight money laundering, curb the cash economy and shut down al-Qard al-Hassan,” the official said. The financial institution, linked to Hezbollah and sanctioned by the U.S., provides dollar loans against gold deposits.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, “since January 2025, the Revolutionary Guards — the ideological arm of the Iranian regime — have transferred more than a billion dollars to Hezbollah, notably through exchange offices.”
One member of the delegation, John Hurley, told Reuters in an interview Sunday from Istanbul that Washington is seeking to take advantage of a “window of opportunity” in Lebanon to reduce Iranian funding to Hezbollah and to push the group to disarm. He said his regional tour aims to curb Iran’s influence over its proxies.
During Monday’s meeting, a day after the delegation met with President Joseph Aoun, Salam said the government “remains committed to the path of reforms, rebuilding state institutions and restoring sovereignty over all its territory.”
He referred to ongoing reforms and government decisions supporting the disarmament of militias, including Hezbollah.
Discussions also covered progress in border control and the regulation of the movement of people and goods. Salam outlined government efforts to fight money laundering by strengthening transparency and enforcing laws that supervise the financial sector, aiming to restore confidence and align with international standards.
Talks also addressed the deployment of the Lebanese Army in south Lebanon and other regions to establish stability and state authority, as well as expanding state control over seaports and the airport.
The delegation also met with Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, who said after the meeting that “Lebanon is committed to extending its authority over the entire territory and combating money laundering, while strengthening transparency, law enforcement and compliance with international standards.”
He called for increased support for the Lebanese Army and security forces.
Aoun and Trump’s vision
On Sunday, Aoun told the American delegation that Lebanon is “scrupulously” implementing measures to prevent money laundering and the “financing of terrorism.”
Regarding the situation in south Lebanon — where the Lebanese Army has begun dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure — Aoun repeated his call, made to all international visitors, to “press Israel to end its ongoing aggression against Lebanon” and to ensure compliance with the cease-fire agreement.
He reiterated that negotiations with Israel, which he has been calling for nearly a month, “rest on the belief that war has never achieved any result,” stressing the need for “favorable conditions,” including calm in the South and an end to Israeli attacks.
On X, Gorka wrote Monday that Aoun is “now in a position to help realize President Donald Trump’s vision for peace in the Middle East, as part of new and broader Abraham Accords.” The Abraham Accords, launched in 2020, saw several Arab countries normalize relations with Israel.
Aoun has proposed direct negotiations with Israel to halt the ongoing attacks on Lebanese territory, which have persisted despite the cease-fire that took effect at the end of November 2024, ending a war with Hezbollah. Washington, meanwhile, continues its efforts to dry up Hezbollah’s funding sources and pressure Lebanese authorities to disarm the group.
On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on Hezbollah members accused of facilitating transfers of Iranian funds through exchange offices, which the group reportedly uses to rebuild its military infrastructure.
