Mike Pompeo
Mike PompeoReuters

The United States is urging Germany to follow in Britain’s footsteps and declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

During his meeting in Berlin at the end of last week with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “We’re also hoping to get Germany’s help – and we talked about this today – in recognizing Hezbollah as a unified entity and banning it from Germany as our ally, the United Kingdom, did this year.”

The British government formally announced in February that it intends to ban the political wing of the Hezbollah terror organization, after previously having banned its military wing.

Germany, however, later stated that it will not follow Britain’s lead, with its Minister of State Niels Annen arguing that the Shiite Muslim organization remained a relevant factor in Lebanese society.

In his remarks at the press conference with Maas, Pompeo also praised the German government's decision to ban the Iranian airline Mahan Air on the grounds that the company's planes could transport soldiers and weapons to Syria and other countries.

“We’re grateful for Germany’s decision to ban Mahan Air from landing in the country. It has been a courier for the Iranian regime and its cargo – fighters and weapons – are bound for Middle East battlefields that put Europeans and Americans and others all around the world at risk. And with Germany currently holding a seat on the UN Security Council, it’s time to take the next step so that we can stop the Iranian torrent of destruction. In particular, I’d like to highlight Iran’s ongoing ballistic missile activities, which are in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” said the Secretary of State.