Iranian fuel sent to Lebanon was not free and the price of those shipments has been paid for, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Committee, Hadi Beki-Nejad.

Beki-Nejad also confirmed that the money had already been delivered to Tehran, according to Iran International.

The Iranian official added that it is crucial to constantly work with neighboring countries and like-minded countries, such as Venezuela and Lebanon.

Iranian fuel tanks entered Lebanese territory in the middle of this month, coming from neighboring Syria, under the silent state’s sight, and in the absence of any official statement or comment.

The first shipment consisted of a convoy of 80 tanks, with a capacity of four million liters, whose cargo was emptied into the warehouses of the “Amana” stations in the city of Baalbek, affiliated with Hezbollah and listed since 2020 on the US sanctions list, before being distributed later according to a list of priorities set by the Iranian-backed party.

US President Joe Biden’s candidate for the post of Assistant Secretary of State, Barbara Leaf, said that these Iranian oil trucks were just a ploy from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah to enhance its reputation, stressing that it would not solve Lebanon’s deep problems in energy and economy.

She also expressed, in a hearing held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to approve her appointment, the US’ openness to lifting some sanctions related to the Caesar Act to ease the passage of gas and electricity to Lebanon through Syria from Egypt and Jordan.

Lebanon has been suffering for weeks from a severe fuel crisis, as citizens wait in long queues in front of gas stations that have adopted a policy of rationing in the distribution of gasoline and diesel.

Hezbollah announced earlier its intention to import fuel from Tehran, in what it called Iranian aid to the country, and a message of support for the Lebanese people, sparking widespread political criticism from its opponents, who accused it of mortgaging the country to Tehran.

The Lebanese authorities have repeatedly announced that they are committed in their financial and banking transactions not to violate the international and US sanctions imposed.