Lebanon's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa speaks during a United Nations emergency security council meeting on Lebanon at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, on March 31, 2026. (Credit: Charly Triballeau/AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanon submitted a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in which it denounces “violations of international conventions” and “direct and blatant interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs,” attributed to actions linked to the Iranian embassy in Beirut and Iranian actors, according to the official document transmitted to the U.N.
The text also challenges several claims contained in Iranian communications regarding the deaths of Iranian diplomats in Beirut during an Israeli strike.
In a statement, the foreign affairs ministry clarified that the document does not constitute a formal complaint against Iran, but rather a response to letters sent by Tehran to the Security Council. This clarification comes after several media outlets, including Independent Arabia, reported the filing of a first Lebanese complaint against Iran at the U.N.
Dated April 21, 2026 and registered under reference S/2026/343, the letter was transmitted to the U.N. Secretary-General and the presidency of the Security Council by Lebanon’s permanent representative to the U.N., Ahmad Arafa, who says he is acting “on instructions from the Lebanese government.” The document reviews several Iranian correspondences accusing Israel of assassinating Iranian diplomats on Lebanese territory.
In the text reviewed by L’Orient-Le Jour, Lebanese authorities accuse Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of “illegal acts committed in open defiance of decisions by the Lebanese government and of having dragged Lebanon into a devastating war,” and refer to “clear violations committed by the Iranian embassy in Beirut of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
The letter also disputes the Iranian version of events concerning the killing of Iranian diplomats in Beirut in March, after an Israeli strike targeting a hotel in the capital. According to Tehran, its embassy had informed Lebanese authorities of the transfer of these diplomats to the Ramada Hotel, which was later struck.
The foreign ministry, for its part, states that no coordination took place with the Iranian embassy regarding this movement. Beirut also notes that some of those killed were not officially registered as diplomats, in violation of Vienna Convention procedures.
Diplomats or Revolutionary Guards
The letter further states that the Iranian embassy “failed to notify Lebanon of the presence of two individuals among the six diplomats killed, Ahmad Rasouli and Amir Moradi, contrary to Article 10 of the Vienna Convention,” which requires the host state to be informed of the status of diplomatic mission members. “The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently requested twice from the Iranian embassy an updated list of its diplomatic staff but received no response,” the statement adds.
The document also cites Iranian media reports claiming that “the six diplomats were in reality members of the Revolutionary Guards, and images showed them in military uniform.” Lebanon considers these elements could constitute a violation of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, which prohibits interference in the internal affairs of the host country and the use of diplomatic premises for purposes incompatible with diplomatic functions.
It also refers to an announcement on March 11 by the Revolutionary Guards mentioning a first joint operation with Hezbollah since the start of hostilities, targeting more than 50 sites in Israel with missiles and drones. Lebanon describes this event as “highly concerning.”
The letter also addresses Iran’s refusal to comply with Lebanon’s decision to declare its ambassador, Mohammad Reza Raouf Shibani, persona non grata and to leave the country by March 29. Th foreign ministry said his actions constituted “a clear violation of the Vienna Convention, both through media statements seen as interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs and through his refusal to comply with the host state’s decision to leave the country.”
Hezbollah and Israel fought a war from March 2 to April 16, breaking a fragile 15-month ceasefire that followed the 2023–2024 conflict. Despite a new truce reached on April 16, clashes continue in southern Lebanon, with hundreds killed in Israeli strikes. At the same time, Hezbollah is carrying out daily attacks, mainly targeting Israeli forces present in Lebanon.
In April, Ambassador Arafa had already blamed Hezbollah for the escalation during a U.N. Security Council session, criticizing the party for having “unilaterally decided to go to war while the Lebanese government was open to dialogue.”
Tensions between Lebanon and Iran have recently intensified, as Beirut seeks to distance itself from Tehran after years of Iranian influence through Hezbollah. In December 2025, Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji apologized for declining an invitation from his Iranian counterpart to visit Tehran, saying he was willing to meet instead in a neutral third country. A month later, Rajji met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beirut, urging Tehran to support “the Lebanese state directly” rather than the armed group.
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