FM Amir-Abdollahian in Beirut: Iran to maintain support for Lebanon, Hezbollah

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran will maintain its unwavering support for the Lebanese government, nation, army and Hezbollah resistance movement, expressing hope that political blocs end the country's political deadlock and elect a new president.

Upon arrival at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport late Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian said his visit, which comes at the official invitation of his caretaker counterpart Abdullah Bouhabib, is aimed at holding consultations on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues, including the latest developments across the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will mightily continue its support for the Lebanese people, government, army and resistance forces,” the top Iranian diplomat noted.

Amir-Abdollahian also pointed to Lebanon’s political crisis to elect a successor to former president Michel Aoun after the post was vacated on October 31 last year.

“We have no doubt that various political factions in Lebanon will be able to elect a new president competently and without any foreign interference,” he said.

US seeking to impose its favorable president upon Lebanon: Hezbollah’s religious council head

The head of the religious council of Hezbollah resistance movement says the US is seeking to impose its favorable president upon Lebanon.

The minister invited all Lebanese political blocs to engage in dialogue and reach consensus in order to break the political deadlock in electing a new president.

Lebanon’s presidency has seen stalemate several times since the 1975-1990 civil war. The country has also had only a caretaker government since last May.

The Arab country has been mired in an economic crisis that the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history, which comes amid crippling sanctions imposed by the US and its allies.

The Lebanese pound has lost more than 95 percent of its value on the black market since 2019.

According to the United Nations, the ongoing financial crisis in Lebanon has caused poverty rates to reach more than 80 percent of the population, and food prices have risen by an astonishing 2,000 percent. 

Creditors under the US influence such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have conditioned the release of billions of dollars in emergency loans to specific reforms which many observers would make the country dependent on the West.

Turkish FM: Amir-Abdollahian to travel to Ankara next week

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says he will meet with Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara next week to discuss a number of regional issues.

According to al-Monitor news website, the two sides are expected to exchange viewpoints about a Russia-brokered rapprochement between Turkey and Syria after more than a decade of enmity.

Tensions in bilateral ties between Iran and Azerbaijan are also among the topics to be focused on when the two chief diplomats meet.

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