Mohammad Sio
13 August 2025•Update: 13 August 2025
BEIRUT
Lebanon is open to cooperating with Iran within the limits of sovereignty and friendship built on mutual respect, President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday during his talks with a top Iranian security official in Beirut.
Aoun told Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that recent rhetoric from some Iranian officials “has not been helpful” and that friendship between the two countries should be “with all Lebanese, not through a single sect or component,” according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry accused some Iranian officials of repeatedly overstepping by making unwarranted statements on Lebanese domestic issues, stressing that such behavior “will not be tolerated by the Lebanese State under any circumstances.”
This came after Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Tehran “definitely opposes the disarmament of Hezbollah, as it has supported and continues to support the Lebanese people and the resistance.”
“Lebanon is a homeland for all its citizens, Christians and Muslims alike, and the Lebanese State, through its constitutional and security institutions, is responsible for protecting all its components,” Aoun said.
He stressed that Lebanon rejects any interference in its internal affairs “from any party” and wants its territory to remain “safe and stable in the interest of all Lebanese without discrimination.”
Aoun reiterated that Lebanon does not meddle in other nations’ internal affairs, including Iran’s, and expects the same in return. He warned against any group carrying arms and relying on foreign support, saying such actions have historically come at a high cost.
He said the state and its armed forces are responsible for the security of all citizens without exception, and that threats from Israel or elsewhere must be met with national unity.
Larijani, for his part, conveyed greetings from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, renewed an invitation for Aoun to visit Tehran, and expressed Iran’s willingness to help Lebanon with reconstruction.
He said Iran seeks to strengthen ties with Lebanon “at all levels” and praised Aoun’s role in bolstering national unity.
Larijani insisted that Iran does not interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs and said his statements upon arriving in Beirut reflected the official stance of his country.
Iran “does not want even the slightest disruption” in its friendship with Lebanon and would assist if requested by the Lebanese government, he said.
Earlier in the day, Larijani said that Iran will stand by the Lebanese people “under all circumstances.” He emphasized Iran’s unwavering commitment to the national interests of Lebanon, saying, "If the Lebanese people suffer, the Iranian people feel that pain too.”
Larijani arrived from Iraq for a one-day visit, the Iranian Embassy in Beirut said in a statement. His trip comes days after Iranian officials rejected any effort to disarm Hezbollah following a Lebanese government decision to restrict weapons to state control.
