US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday to discuss measures aimed at disrupting Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas.
During the meeting which took place in Washington DC on the sidelines of the NATO Summit Yellen "outlined Treasury actions to disrupt Iran and its proxies including Hezbollah and Hamas," said a readout from the US Treasury Department.
Yellen further emphasized the importance of information sharing between the US and Israel to counter Iran's influence.
"Secretary Yellen welcomed additional information sharing with Israel and noted that ongoing collaboration to combat terrorist financing has yielded fruitful results with respect to countering Iranian financial and military support to Hamas, Hezbollah, and its other regional partners and proxies," the readout added.
In a post on social media platform X, Israel Katz stated that during the meeting he expressed gratitude for US support while urging for increased US sanctions against Iran in cooperation with Europe.
"I thanked her for the American support for Israel and reviewed Iran's activities as the leader of the axis of evil against Israel, the US, and the entire free world. I emphasized that now is the time to impose severe sanctions on Iran, led by the US and in cooperation with European countries, to stop its nuclear and missile activities and support for terrorist organizations..."
This meeting follows a contentious debate on Tuesday where Congressman Mike Lawler accused Yellen of lax enforcement of sanctions aimed at curtailing Iran's oil trade with China.
In late June, diplomats quoted by the German Press Agency (DPA) indicated that several EU countries, including Germany, are advocating for the designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) IRGC as a terrorist organization based on a ruling by the High Court in Düsseldorf linking a 2022 synagogue attack in Bochum to Iranian state authorities.
