Lebanon To Allow Docking of Iranian Cargo Ships at Its Seaports

Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh announced on Monday that Lebanon would start allowing Iranian cargo ships to dock at the country’s seaports. “This is a sovereign decision. We will not give up on any sovereign decision that will activate maritime trade and bring benefit to the state’s treasury,” Hamieh said during a meeting he held with a delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. Mohammad Ali Nasiri, head of the Iranian delegation, said he discussed with Hamieh the potential for boosting maritime transport and trade between Lebanon and Iran. The move appears to be in anticipation of the lifting of sanctions on Iran as part of a renewed Iran nuclear deal. Lebanon had been barring Iranian ships from docking in its ports in accordance with economic sanctions that the United States reimposed on Tehran after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Lebanese ships have been avoiding Iranian ports, as well.