Report: U.S. Prepares ‘Unprecedented’ Sanctions on Iran, Hizbullah

A new batch of “unprecedented” U.S. sanctions on Iran and Hizbullah is underway as part of efforts to take a tough line against Tehran and the Iran-backed party, media reports said on Tuesday.

“Western diplomats revealed to Lebanese officials that the sanctions have gone a long way in

Congress and will hit Iran and Hizbullah mainly,” al-Joumhouria daily reported.

Describing the sanctions as “unprecedented,” they noted that “ it will be issued in parallel with a batch of harsh sanctions against Iran,” said the daily.

In May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Tehran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business with it, toughening up Washington's policy line after its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Instead of suggesting a re-negotiation of the Iran deal, Pompeo outlined 12 tough conditions from Washington for any "new deal" with Tehran to make sure it "will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East."

These essentially address every aspect of Iran's missile program and what the US calls its "malign influence" across the region, including support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hizbullah and Huthi rebels in Yemen.