FM meets Lebanese counterpart, voices support for nation’s independence
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday met with his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji in Beirut.
Araghchi’s visit to Lebanon on Thursday came as relations between the two governments had been soured over the disarmament of the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.
Beirut wants the Shia movement to hand over its weapons to the army but Tehran and Hezbollah oppose the demand, saying the push is a US-Israeli plot that will weaken the nation in the face of military aggression.
Prior to the meeting with Rajji, Araghchi held talks with the Lebanese Minister of Economy, Amer Bisat, and the vice president of the Supreme Shia Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib.
Araghchi was also scheduled to meet senior Lebanese government officials as well as political and religious figures.
Upon arriving in Beirut on Thursday, the top diplomat said his trip was aimed at discussing ongoing developments in the region with Lebanese officials, IRNA reported.
He noted that the region was facing serious challenges and threats, mainly posed by the Israeli regime which the minister called “unprecedented in scale and intensity.”
“Over the past two years, seven countries in the region, including Iran and Lebanon, have been targeted by Israeli attacks,” Araghchi pointed out.
He said parts of Lebanese territory remained under Israeli occupation, criticizing that the ceasefire established between Lebanon and Israeli over the past year had been repeatedly violated by the regime.
The Iranian minister highlighted the deep-rooted political, diplomatic, and economic relations, as well as cultural exchanges, between Iran and Lebanon, noting, “We aim to expand and enhance our relations in various fields, particularly in economic cooperation.”
“Both Iran and Lebanon share a rich culture and an ancient civilizational history. Cultural exchanges between our two countries can significantly strengthen our friendship and foster relations based on mutual respect. We are committed to advancing our relations with Lebanon by considering mutual interests.”
Later in the day, Araghchi paid tribute to Hezbollah’s late secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at his mausoleum where he reiterated Iran’s unwavering support for Lebanon’s independence, national unity, and territorial integrity.
“On behalf of the government of the Islamic Republic and all the people of Iran, I send greetings to all fighters on the path of truth, justice, and resistance, and to those who sacrificed their lives to water this sacred path and open the way to victory,” the top diplomat said.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh, southern Beirut, on September 27, 2024, when more than 80 one-ton bunker-buster bombs were used.