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Iran s fuel shipments violate sovereignty_ Lebanese PM claims

 Published: 23:18, 18 September 2021

Iran s fuel shipments violate sovereignty_ Lebanese PM claims

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Iranian fuel shipments imported by the Hezbollah movement constitute a breach of Lebanon s sovereignty_ according to comments published by his office.

 The violation of Lebanon s sovereignty makes me sad_ Mikati told CNN in an interview_ his office said in a posting on Twitter.

He added:  But I m not concerned that sanctions can be imposed on Lebanon  because the operation was carried out without the involvement of the Lebanese government.

The Tehran-aligned group on Thursday began bringing tanker trucks carrying fuel from Iran_ a move it says should ease a crippling energy crisis in Lebanon.

A tanker ship carried the fuel to Syria and from there it crossed into Lebanon. Both Syria and Iran are under US sanctions.

Meanwhile_ authorities have seized 20 tons of ammonium nitrate  the same chemical behind a deadly explosion last year at Beirut s port  in the eastern Bekaa Valley_ state media said.

Ammonium nitrate is an odorless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertilizer that has been the cause of numerous industrial explosions over the decades.

The National News Agency said security forces raided a fertilizer warehouse in the eastern Bekaa Valley_ considered a hub for smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria.

Authorities seized 20 tons of the dangerous chemical stored inside a truck parked at the warehouse_ the NNA said_ adding the material was transported to a  safe place.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi called on security forces to conduct a sweep of the area. He said:  We must do our best to move these materials to a safer place away from exposure to heat and sun to avoid a  catastrophe.

The company that owns the ammonium nitrate said that the fertilizer was intended for agricultural use.