Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raji said he had declined an invitation from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to visit Tehran as Beirut continues to push for the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Israel mauled the group at the tail end of a year-long war which ended in November of last year, after which the Lebanese government tasked the army with confiscating Hezbollah's arsenal by 2026.
Iran has resisted the initiative to defang the group which it founded in 1982, saying continued Israeli attacks justify what it calls Hezbollah's resistance.
In a written reply published by Lebanon’s foreign ministry on X, Raji said not accepting the visit “does not mean rejecting discussion,” adding that “the favorable conditions are not available.”
He renewed an invitation to Araghchi to meet in “a neutral third country to be agreed upon.”
Raji said Lebanon was ready to establish “a new phase of constructive relations” with Iran, but only if ties were based “exclusively on mutual respect and absolute respect for the independence and sovereignty of each country and non-interference in internal affairs under any pretext.”
“Building any strong state cannot happen unless the state alone, through its national army, holds the exclusive right to carry arms and the sole authority over decisions of war and peace,” he added, saying Araghchi was welcome to visit Lebanon.
Iran invitation amid Hezbollah debate
Iran invited Raji to Tehran earlier this month to discuss bilateral ties, according to Iran’s foreign ministry, amid growing debate in Lebanon over the future of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group and calls for state control over weapons.
The exchange followed criticism in Beirut of comments by Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, who said Hezbollah’s existence was more important than “bread and water” for Lebanon.
Responding at the time, Raji wrote on X: “What is more important than bread and water for us is our sovereignty, freedom and independent decision-making,” rejecting what he described as outside interference.
Lebanon’s stance comes as Israel and Lebanon expand contacts through a committee monitoring their 2024 ceasefire, with Beirut saying the group could verify Israeli accusations that Hezbollah is re-arming.
Israel continues to occupy outposts on Lebanese territory and has launched a series of deadly attacks which it says targets Hezbollah militants despite the ceasefire.
