PHOTO: Foreign Minister Zarif with Lebanon’s Saad Hariri


Trying to seize political advantage in Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Mohammad Javad Zarif concluded a two-day visit with senior Lebanese officials — including newly-selected President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri — on Tuesday.

Zarif issued standard statements on regional issues during the stay. He called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Yemen and Syria — even though Tehran has put thousands of commanders, troops, and foreign militia into the conflict — and military solutions cannot solve either issue: “The only path is talks among the people of Syria and Yemen.”

However, the primary objective of Zarif’s visit was to bolster ties with the new Lebanese leadership. Aoun, a veteran Christian politician, aligned himself with Iran’s ally Hezbollah. Hariri, a long-time foe of Hezbollah, has tempered his position to return to power.

See Iran Daily, Nov 5: Tehran’s Political Move on Lebanon

Aoun’s selection by Parliament last week ended a two-year vacancy in the Presidency. Tehran immediately hailed the appointment as a sign of Lebanon’s valued position in the “Resistance” movement, led by Hezbollah and promoted by the Islamic Republic.

Zarif told Hariri:

The dangers which are threatening us are the danger of the Zionist regime and the danger of extremism. We are ready to cooperate with all the Lebanese people and groups to counter these dangers.

The welcoming of Aoun and Zarif’s trip are a further maneuver by Tehran in the contest for influence with Beirut. Early this year, Saudi Arabia — Iran’s rival in the region — withdrew billions in military aid.

On another matter, Zarif said the 10-year prison sentence of information technology specialist Nazar Zaka, a dual Lebanese-Iranian national, is “not a problem between Iran and Lebanon. It is a problem between the U.S. and Iran”.

Zaka has been accused by Iranian officials of involvement with a foreign poer the US.

Zarif also met Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and senior Hezbollah officials on Tuesday.