Iran Spending Oil Revenues on Hezbollah, Hamas and Regional Militias, Says Rubio

During a media interview on July 20, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the Iranian government is redirecting virtually all financial resources it can muster toward the support of armed groups across the Middle East.

Rubio said that even the modest oil income Iran secures under current sanctions, as well as any funds obtained through humanitarian aid, are being funneled into Hezbollah, Hamas, and militia networks operating in Iraq and elsewhere. He described the spending as amounting to billions of dollars.

He emphasized that such expenditures come at a time when the Iranian people are suffering from severe inflation, food scarcity, fuel shortages and unpaid wages. Rubio asserted that the leadership’s priority is not rebuilding the nation but sustaining what he termed a “terrorism box.”

The U.S. official linked this financial strategy to the broader regional instability and suggested that it intensifies the urgency of the United States’ recent air campaign against Iranian military sites, which marks the ninth night of strikes.

Rubio finished by noting that awareness of these diversionary practices is rising among Iranians, including some within the government, potentially creating internal pressure on Tehran’s ruling elite.