A man holds an Iranian flag near an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, May 2, 2026. (Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
BEIRUT — Tehran announced on Sunday that Lebanese citizens wishing to travel to Iran must now obtain a visa, according to a message posted on X by the Iranian embassy in Beirut. The embassy said the decision came after the Lebanese government’s earlier move “to cancel the agreement in force between the two countries regarding entry facilities at border crossings, and to restore the visa issuance system.”
Iran said that it has "taken the necessary measures to ensure the comfort of Lebanese citizens, so that visas ... are issued immediately in all Iranian airports." The embassy also specified different fees depending on whether the visit is for tourism or religious purposes. In the first case, visa fees are “20 euros” (about $23 at the current exchange rate), and “10 euros” (about $12) in the second.
Three days after Hezbollah entered the regional war alongside Iran, the Lebanese Cabinet decided to ban all activity by members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon. Following this decision, Lebanon introduced a visa system for Iranian nationals wishing to enter the country. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said a few days later that the move was linked “to information about activities conducted by Revolutionary Guard members that could endanger Lebanese national security.”
Israel has said it has repeatedly targeted members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon since March, including in Beirut. In early March, "several dozen officers" from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard reportedly left Beirut, according to information obtained at the time by U.S. media outlet Axios, from two senior Israeli defense officials and a third source familiar with the situation.
At the end of March, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the Iranian ambassador in Beirut, Mohammad Reza Chibani, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country. This decision ultimately was not enforced. An Iranian diplomatic source justified this outcome by citing "the will of (parliament speaker) Nabih Berry and Hezbollah".
