BEIRUT — A general look at Lebanon’s financial history shows that the country is influenced by the political and security situations in the region. As Lebanon is waiting for $11 billion in soft loans and grants it had secured from international donors in the Paris conference in April 2018 to bolster the country's dwindling economic growth, the shadow of a major standoff between the United States and Iran is looming on the horizon.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have been gradually building up for months. Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, launching an all-out pressure campaign against Tehran, which started lashing out. In June, the standoff began to spiral as Iran downed a US military drone and President Donald Trump called off a retaliatory strike on Iran.
