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Vice President says MOU aims to cut off funds to Hezbollah, urges regional partners' cooperation
Summary
In the press briefing the vice president said the MOU seeks to reduce Iranian funding to proxies such as Hezbollah and emphasized regional cooperation, while acknowledging ceasefires and security arrangements can be "messy."
Reporters pressed whether Iran had already been sending funds to proxies and what the U.S. would do if proxy attacks continued. The vice president said one purpose of the MOU is to ensure money does not flow to Hezbollah and to reduce rocket and drone fire: "One of the things we are actually engaged in this process is to ensure that no money is flowing to Hezbollah," he said.
He also described the Lebanon component as designed to reduce violence and called for the Lebanese government to police southern Lebanon so Hezbollah does not dominate the state. When asked about Israeli concerns, the vice president said he had spoken with Israeli officials and urged cabinet members not to attack the president's approach. He said the administration would coordinate with Gulf partners on security arrangements for the Straits.
