Supporters of Hezbollah wave photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut to celebrate the cease-fire between Israel and Iran, on June 25, 2025. (Credit: Haitham Moussa/AFP)
BEIRUT — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded in a statement to recent comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who claimed Lebanon “lacked rationality.”
Rationality depends on “respect for sovereignty,” the ministry's statement read, an allusion to Tehran’s involvement in Lebanese affairs through Hezbollah.
“The ministry adopts a rational, open and constructive approach under all circumstances and expects all its counterparts to do the same,” the statement said. It added: “Rationality in relations between countries first and foremost requires going through official and legal institutions, rather than establishing relations with ‘parties’ or ‘factions’ within those countries. Just as Iran, or any other host country, would not accept Lebanon’s ambassador bypassing its official institutions to deal directly with parties or factions independently, Lebanon cannot accept this either.”
The Foreign Ministry’s statement came in response to comments made on Friday by Araghchi, who was receiving in Tehran Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, vice president of the Higher Shiite Council. Khatib had traveled to Tehran to present a report on Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and specifically request financial support for the region’s residents.
Israel has extensively destroyed and partially occupied southern Lebanon since the war began on March 2, killing over 4,352 people.
Araghchi told Khatib that Iran cannot “forget Lebanon,” reaffirming his country’s “commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Lebanon. He also criticized Lebanon’s official position, directly referring to the Foreign Ministry, saying he hoped it would “show a bit more rationality.”
The deterioration in diplomatic relations and the ensuing exchange stem from the ministry’s decision at the end of March to declare Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani persona non grata over suspicions that he had interfered in Lebanese affairs through Hezbollah. A compromise was reached at the end of August with the renewal of Shibani’s visa, but he did not regain his status as Iran’s diplomatic representative. Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, meanwhile, maintained his hardline position toward the Iranian diplomat.
“Relations between countries are built with and through states, and respect for sovereignty is a mutual principle that allows neither selectivity nor transgression,” the ministry's statement concluded.
Relations between Lebanon and Iran have deteriorated since the new leadership came to power, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who have declared their intention to disarm militias, particularly Hezbollah. The two have deemed the group’s military activities illegal and begun direct talks with Israel in an effort to end the war.
