Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with top Lebanese officials on 9 January, during the second day of his visit to the country’s capital, Beirut.
In a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Iranian foreign minister said Tehran “supports Lebanon’s independence, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and the visit is part of efforts to enhance and develop bilateral relations.”
The Lebanese president affirmed that “Lebanon is ready to strengthen economic and trade relations and is keen to establish the best possible relations with Iran within a framework of mutual respect and non-interference in the affairs of both countries.”
Araghchi also met with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Rajji.
He said the “primary objective” of his two-day trip was to consult with officials about the “serious challenges and threats” the region is facing, caused “by the Zionist regime.”
Iran’s foreign minister called Rajji his “friend and counterpart,” following recent tensions between the two officials.
Last month, Rajji declined an invitation to visit Tehran, extended by Araghchi, and proposed a meeting in a “neutral third country.”
The Lebanese foreign minister had previously accused Tehran of interference and destabilization in both Lebanon and the region.
During Friday’s meeting, Rajji called on the Islamic Republic to negotiate with Lebanon to find a “new approach to the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, drawing on Iran’s relationship with the party, so that these weapons do not become a pretext for weakening Lebanon.”
Rajji and Araghchi agreed during the meeting that “protecting” Lebanon is the government’s responsibility. Rajji urged his Iranian counterpart to only support the state, while calling on Iranian officials to stop “interference” in Lebanon’s domestic affairs.
The Lebanese foreign minister asked Araghchi if Iran would accept an “illegal” armed organization in his country. Araghchi affirmed that Tehran backs Hezbollah as a resistance movement but does not interfere in its decisions whatsoever.
Araghchi also met with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri.
Upon arrival in Beirut the day before, the Iranian foreign minister visited the shrine of late Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel in September 2024.
The visit comes after Lebanon announced that it has completed the first phase of Hezbollah’s disarmament – in the area below the Litani River in the country’s south. Araghchi had previously referred to the disarmament of Hezbollah as a “doomed effort.”
Israel responded to the Lebanese announcement by saying the efforts were “far from sufficient,” and that Hezbollah is “rearming faster than it is disarming.”
Hundreds of people have been killed by Israel since the Lebanon ceasefire was reached in November 2024.
The Israeli army escalated its daily violent attacks on Lebanon on Friday, carrying out heavy airstrikes on several areas.
New reports in Hebrew media have said that Washington has greenlit an imminent and widespread Israeli military campaign against Lebanon.