In his first official diplomatic visit since his predecessor died in a helicopter crash last month, Iran’s acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani arrived in Lebanon on Monday, June 3, 2024.
Kani was previously the Deputy Foreign Minister and served as Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator in indirect talks with the US.
Iran’s state-run news agency reported earlier that Ali Bagheri Kani would visit Lebanon and then Syria “to meet with the two countries’ officials as well as the officials of the resistance front to discuss ways to counter (Israel).”
Bagheri Kani met with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib.
In a joint press conference with the Lebanese Foreign Minister after their meeting, Kani praised the “close relations” between the two countries.
Kani stated that Lebanon’s stability, peace and progress are his country’s goal.
He said that Iran has always consulted and cooperated with Lebanese authorities at different times and in various developments, adding that Iran’s efforts for the progress of the Lebanese people have always been on the agenda.
He also thanked the Lebanese officials and people for sympathizing with Iran over the tragic passing away of the Iranian President and the country’s Foreign Minister.
He noted that the stable relations between the two countries are a key indicator for the region.
He added that “resistance is the basis for stability in the region.”
Bagheri Kani also referred to his meeting with Bou Habib earlier on Monday, saying that they have discussed issues related to Palestine and the need for taking collective measures by all states to stop the Israeli regime’s crimes.
“We agreed that all countries in the region, especially the Islamic countries, should adopt a joint movement in order to counter Israeli aggression and protect the Palestinian people, especially in Rafah.”
Ali Bagheri Kani
On his part, Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib said that Tehran and Beirut share a common view about the dangers caused by the continuation of the Gaza war.
Habib stressed that the continuation of the war in Gaza and the continuation of crimes against Palestinians undermines the chances of peace in the region.
He said that Lebanon, for its part, wants to avoid a wider war and is looking for “sustainable solutions that restore calm and stability to southern Lebanon.”
Kani is also expected to meet Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah.
Iran backs a number of armed factions in the region, of which Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah is widely seen as the most powerful.
Hezbollah would be Tehran’s first line of defence in case of a direct conflict between Iran and Israel.
Meanwhile, Yossi Cohen, in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio, said that Israel knows the whereabouts of Hassan Nasrallah and “if we wanted to…could take him down.”
The message cames as conflict rages along the Israel-Lebanon border, with Hezbollah and the Israeli military trading near daily strikes.
Israel In A “Dead-End Corridor”
Also on Monday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asserted that Israel is “melting down” due to its war on Gaza.
Khamenei made this remark at a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the late leader of the county, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
In his nearly 55-minute speech, Khamenei said that Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas-led attack, which began the war, placed it in a “dead-end corridor.”
He added the war had derailed Israel’s US-backed efforts for normalisation, which he characterised as part of an Israeli plot to dominate the region.
Speaking to thousands gathered at Khomeini’s mausoleum near Tehran, Khamenei said, “The Zionist entity is gradually disintegrating before the eyes of the world’s people, and sooner or later, America will have to withdraw its support for it.”
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