Beirut accuses Tehran of interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs

Lebanese Foreign Minister Yousef Raggi said on Thursday that Iranian officials must stop interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs, adding that normal relations with Tehran’s diplomatic mission in Beirut can only resume once Iran respects Lebanese state decisions.

“Iranian officials must stop interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs, the latest example being the statements made by the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament,” Raggi told Lebanese daily An-Nahar.

“Respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty is the essential basis for normal diplomatic relations between the two countries,” he added.

“Normal relations with the Iranian mission in Lebanon can only resume once Tehran complies with the Lebanese state’s decision and respects Lebanon’s sovereignty and the decisions of its institutions,” Raggi asserted.

He added that any resumption of normal ties must be done in accordance “with established diplomatic rules and procedures.”

On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed the need for “state-to-state relations” with Iran based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.

The remarks come amid months of tension between Beirut and Tehran over statements by Iranian officials that Lebanon views as interference in its domestic affairs.

In mid-March, Raggi summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires to convey Beirut’s objection to statements that he said constituted a “clear violation of our national sovereignty and a breach of our government’s decisions.”

Soon afterward, Beirut declared Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani persona non grata, citing what it described as “violations of established diplomatic norms and protocols” by Tehran.