Six Iranian diplomats smuggled suitcases of cash on commercial flights to Lebanon, to help Hezbollah rebuild its financial and operational ability, Iran International reported on Wednesday, citing newly obtained information.
According to Iran International, the diplomats include: former Iranian ambassador to Turkey Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian-Fard; former Iranian consul-general in Pakistan Mohammad Reza Shirkhodaei; his brother, Hamidreza; Reza Nedaei; Abbas Asgari; and former employee of the Iranian embassy in Canada, Amir-Hamzeh Shiranirad.
Taherian-Fard, who accompanied Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on a flight to Beirut in January, allegedly brought a cash-filled suitcase with him, “relying on diplomatic immunity to avoid airport inspection.”
Iran International further reported that Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had done a similar act in October, smuggling “hundreds of millions of dollars” through Beirut’s airport.
Due to Israeli military action targeting Hezbollah’s weapons and money-smuggling routes used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria, Beirut’s airport has become the main route for cash smuggling, according to Iran International.
“The cash shipments come as Hezbollah faces acute financial strain,” the outlet said, adding that the terror group has reportedly been “struggling” to pay its operatives and rebuild in southern Lebanon.
“Rebuilding costs have been estimated in the billions of dollars,” Iran International reported.
Bessent: Regime leaders moving millions out of Iran as they ‘abandon ship’
In January 2026, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Newsmax that Iranian leaders are moving tens of millions of dollars out of the country as they begin “abandoning ship” amid the deadly protests in Iran.
We are now seeing the rats fleeing the ship, because we can see millions, tens of millions of dollars being wired out of the country, snuck out of the country by the Iranian leadership,” Bessent said. “So they are abandoning ship, and we are seeing it come into banks and financial institutions all over the world.
Following this, the US Department of the Treasury (UST) imposed new sanctions against “key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people.”
Among those sanctioned is Larijani, who has advocated violence against peaceful demonstrators. Other targets include security officials from various Iranian provinces where protests have faced violent suppression.
Israel reportedly planned to strike Beirut airport if Iranian funds reached Hezbollah
State-owned Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya claimed in January 2025 that Israel had planned to bomb Beirut’s airport should funds transported from Tehran on an Iranian Mahan Air flight be transferred to Hezbollah.
The claim followed a report from the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar of an Iranian delegation on board such a flight had landed at Beirut’s airport and attempted to bar Lebanese security officials from searching the plane.
An-Nahar added that the Beirut airport had been in a state of alert following reports that the flight may be carrying funds for Hezbollah.