2026-01-09T13:19:38+00:00
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Shafaq News– Beirut (Updated at 18:00)
Lebanon’s president and foreign
minister told Iran’s foreign minister on Wednesday that although cooperation
with Tehran is welcome, weapons must remain exclusively under Beirut’s control
if the country is to restore sovereignty and secure reconstruction aid.
According to a statement, during
talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Joseph Aoun
conveyed Lebanon’s readiness to expand economic ties with Iran based on “non-interference.”
الرئيس جوزاف عون خلال استقباله وزير الخارجية الإيراني:لبنان مستعد لتعزيز العلاقات الاقتصادية والتجارية وحريص على إقامة افضل العلاقات مع ايران في اطار من الاحترام المتبادل وعدم التدخل في شؤون البلدين.الوزير عباس عراقجي من بعبدا: ايران تدعم استقلال لبنان ووحدته وسيادته وسلامة… pic.twitter.com/20VJU367ua
— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) January 9, 2026
Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, in
his own meeting with Araghchi, conveyed Lebanon’s position on Iran’s
relationship with Hezbollah, emphasizing that national defense falls solely
under state authority and that no armed group should operate outside it.
He urged that any Iranian
assistance be directed only through state institutions, calling for a new
approach to Hezbollah’s weapons that would not weaken any Lebanese community.
I held a frank meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, during which we discussed a range of issues and challenges facing Lebanon, as well as bilateral relations. I welcomed him as a friend, despite differences in perspectives.I reaffirmed Lebanon’s desire to… pic.twitter.com/sW7if3fPYQ
— Youssef Raggi (@YoussefRaggi) January 9, 2026
Araghchi responded that Iran seeks
to build relations with Lebanon founded on goodwill and mutual respect between
the two governments and their institutions, reiterating Tehran’s support for
Lebanon’s independence, unity, and territorial integrity.
The visit “marks a new chapter” in
relations between the two countries, he added. He later likened Iran’s current unrest to
Beirut’s 2020 turmoil driven by currency surges.
The Iranian minister is also
holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal (Hope) Movement, a
political party allied with Hezbollah.
Iran has long backed Hezbollah,
which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and several
European countries. Formed in the 1980s during Israel’s occupation of southern
Lebanon, the group holds seats in Lebanon’s parliament and cabinet.
The Lebanese Army said a day
earlier that it had entered an “advanced phase” of its plan to confine weapons
exclusively to state control, after completing an initial stage focused on
asserting authority south of the Litani River, a zone stretching roughly 30
kilometers.
Despite Lebanon’s declared
compliance with the November 2024 ceasefire, Israeli forces continue to occupy
five hills seized during the war, along with other border areas held for
decades. Israeli strikes have also persisted across southern and eastern Lebanon
and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) has documented more than 10,000 Israeli ceasefire violations,
while Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least 340 people have been killed and
more than 970 wounded, including women and children, since the agreement.
Read more: Israel warns Lebanon: Deterrence or descent into new war?
