Iranian diplomatic chief to arrive in Beirut for 2-day visit

BEIRUT — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is expected in Beirut on Wednesday for a two-day official visit.

Amir-Abdollahian will meet Thursday with Lebanese officials including caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.

This is Amir-Abdollahian's second visit to Lebanon in three months. He last visited Beirut in mid-January.

This visit comes after Saudi Arabia and Iran — which severed diplomatic relations in 2016 — signed a China-led normalization agreement in March announcing the restoration of their relations and the reopening of their respective embassies.

Many expect the agreement to have a positive impact on the region, including Lebanon. 

Lebanon has been experiencing a power vacuum since former president Michel Aoun's term expired on Oct. 31 without agreement within the deeply divided political class on his successor.