Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that his policies as president left Iran so impoverished that it stopped funding terror groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. In various interviews, Trump asserted that Iran was broke and not supporting these groups. However, several experts have confirmed that Trump’s claims are false.
While it is true that Iran’s funding for such groups decreased during the latter part of Trump’s presidency due to the impact of his sanctions on the Iranian economy, it never stopped entirely. Experts from various research institutions in the US and Israel have stated that Iran’s financial relationship with Hamas actually strengthened in the first year of Trump’s presidency.
Even members of Trump’s own administration contradicted his claims. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admitted in 2020 that Iran was continuing to fund terror groups, including Hezbollah. Experts have reiterated that Iran’s funding for groups like Hezbollah and Hamas persisted under Trump, even if at reduced levels.
Iran does not disclose the exact amount of money it provides to these groups, but estimations suggest significant annual contributions. Reports from The Washington Post and Reuters have highlighted how US sanctions led to cuts in Iran’s financial support for these groups, but it did not eliminate the funding entirely.
Despite reductions in Iran’s publicly disclosed military budget and overall military spending, the State Department’s report on international terrorism in 2020 confirmed that Iran still supported terrorism globally, including through proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. This report contradicts Trump’s claims that Iran had completely stopped funding these groups during his presidency.
