ISTANBUL

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday he accepted an invitation from his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raggi, to visit Beirut to open “a new chapter” in bilateral relations.

Raggi on Wednesday declined an invitation by Araghchi to visit Tehran and suggested holding their talks in a third neutral country.

In a statement on US social media company X, Araghchi called Raggi’s declining of his invitation “bemusing.”

“Foreign ministers of nations with brotherly and full diplomatic relations need no ‘neutral’ venue to meet,” he said. “Subjected to Israeli occupation and blatant 'ceasefire' violations, I fully understand why my esteemed Lebanese counterpart is not prepared to visit Tehran.”

Iranian officials have criticized a Lebanese government decision to disarm Hezbollah, a position that drew fire from Beirut.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese foreign minister called for establishing relations between Lebanon and Iran based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of both countries and non-interference in internal affairs.

The Lebanese government on Aug. 5 approved a plan, based on a draft proposal presented by US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, to place all weapons—including those held by Hezbollah—under state control and tasked the army with implementing the plan before the end of 2025.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the move and insists that Israeli forces must fully withdraw from Lebanese territory before laying down arms.