Naim Qassem, who was Hezbollah's deputy secretary-general at the time, was received by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in July 2024. (Credit: Khamenei website)
This is the first time relations between Lebanon and Iran have deteriorated to such an extent since the cancellation of Iranian flights to Beirut, the tightening of security checks imposed on Iranian delegations and Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji’s refusal (at least so far) to accept new Iranian ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani’s credentials.Shibani is Iran’s former ambassador to Lebanon and Syria, and has been appointed to succeed Mojtaba Amani.The issue is not limited to bilateral relations between the two states but is part of Iran’s broader vision for the situation in the region, which is rapidly changing and where all balances have shifted against Iranian arrangements. Context Rajji-Araghchi: The end of a controversial period or the start of a diplomatic rift? Since the signing of the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon in...
This is the first time relations between Lebanon and Iran have deteriorated to such an extent since the cancellation of Iranian flights to Beirut, the tightening of security checks imposed on Iranian delegations and Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji’s refusal (at least so far) to accept new Iranian ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani’s credentials.Shibani is Iran’s former ambassador to Lebanon and Syria, and has been appointed to succeed Mojtaba Amani.The issue is not limited to bilateral relations between the two states but is part of Iran’s broader vision for the situation in the region, which is rapidly changing and where all balances have shifted against Iranian arrangements. Context Rajji-Araghchi: The end of a controversial period or the start of a diplomatic rift? Since the signing of the cease-fire agreement in...
'American sponsorship is a guarantee,' says Lebanese-American coordination committee