Iranupdated 1h ago2 min read
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh Meets Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut
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Saeed Khatibzadeh arrived in Beirut with a diplomatic delegation. He was received by Amal Movement delegation representing Speaker Nabih Berri.
6 outlets told this the same way.
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Deputy FM in Beirut
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh held talks with Lebanese officials in Beirut on Thursday in an apparent effort to ease mounting diplomatic tensions after Lebanon refused to recognise Tehran's newly appointed ambassador. Khatibzadeh met Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at his Ain el-Tineh residence in Beirut on Thursday, with Iran's chargé d'affaires in Lebanon, Tawfiq Samadi, also attending. Khatibzadeh told Al-Jadeed TV on Friday that he met with a number of Lebanese officials over the past two days to exchange views and positions, describing the atmosphere of the meetings as good.
The New Arab reported that Khatibzadeh met Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at his Ain el-Tineh residence in Beirut on Thursday, with Iran's chargé d'affaires in Lebanon, Tawfiq Samadi, also attending. Khatibzadeh emphasized the longstanding relationship between the two countries and said, “I conveyed my warmest wishes to the Lebanese people and to Lebanon, this great country with which we share longstanding and friendly relations at various levels.”
Arms, sovereignty, and Hezbollah
Khatibzadeh called on the Lebanese government to “arm everyone” instead of “removing weapons in the face of the aggressors.” Khatibzadeh added that any decision regarding Hezbollah's involvement in a potential new Iran-Israel conflict would rest with the group itself, rather than with Tehran. Fares Saeed argued that an Iranian senior official visits Beirut at the height of Hezbollah’s rebellion against the decisions of the Lebanese government taken in the Council of Ministers.
Mustafa Fawani said, “When any Iranian official visits Lebanon, Amal Movement customarily receives him with a delegation.” The New Arab said Lebanese officials remained concerned that Hezbollah could once again draw the country into a wider regional conflict in support of Iran, particularly amid fears of renewed military escalation involving Tehran, Washington and Israel.
Tensions and diplomatic fallout
Lebanon expressed willingness to turn the page with Tehran, provided ties are based on mutual respect, sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. Lebanese officials remained firm in their rejection of attempts to turn the country into an arena for regional conflicts, and it quoted their position that “Lebanon is tired of wars and refuses to continue being dragged into them.” Relations between Beirut and Tehran deteriorated in recent months over Iran's opposition to Lebanese government decisions aimed at placing all weapons under state control.
Lebanese authorities withdrew recognition of Sheibani's diplomatic accreditation and ordered him to leave the country on 24 March, and it added that he remained in Lebanon despite the decision and was subsequently granted a courtesy residency permit. Khatibzadeh arrived in Beirut on Wednesday with a diplomatic delegation amid heightened regional tensions, as Israel continued to attack Lebanon despite a US-sponsored framework agreement providing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.