The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, during a press conference in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Credit: Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is now expected in Beirut on Thursday, anticipating a visit originally scheduled for Saturday. He will travel to Lebanon accompanied by an economic delegation, according to the Iranian Mehr news agency.
In December 2025, Araghchi extended an invitation to his Lebanese counterpart, Joe Rajji, to visit Tehran, which was declined, with Rajji instead proposing a meeting in a neutral location. At the time, Araghchi said he understood the Lebanese position and expressed his willingness to come to Beirut if invited.
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghaei, said Monday that Iran was "determined to pursue and deepen" its relations with Lebanon despite diplomatic tensions between the two countries. "Our relations with Lebanon are old and friendly, and we are constantly determined to pursue and strengthen them," he said during a press conference.
Relations between Lebanon and Iran have faced a series of tensions in recent months, as Beirut seeks to distance itself from Tehran after years of Iranian influence over Lebanon through Hezbollah. Earlier in December, Rajji told Al Jazeera that Iran's role in Lebanon and the region had fueled instability, making it clear that Beirut would only accept dialogue on the condition that Tehran stops interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs and funding an illegal group.
