Iran’s foreign minister to visit Lebanon on Thursday

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Mehr news ​agency he will visit Lebanon on Thursday with an economic delegation.
A US-backed ceasefire agreed in November 2024 ended more than ‌a year ‌of ‌fighting ⁠between ​Israel ‌and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, but it also required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned group.
Lebanon has sought to distance itself ⁠from Iran, with its Foreign ‌Minister Youssef Raji ‍last ‍month declining an ‍invitation to visit Tehran citing “current conditions” as not permitting the visit, and he instead ​invited Araghchi to visit Beirut for talks.
“Our relations ⁠are longstanding with all components of the Lebanese state and we are looking to expand these ties... We hope we can return to a very good relation,” ‌Araghchi said.