The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, arrived in Beirut on Friday afternoon for a 24-hour visit, his third since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel in Gaza. He is expected to meet during the evening with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

The discussions of the Iranian minister in Beirut are part of the diplomatic talks in which Lebanon is also at the center, as talks for a ceasefire in Gaza and restoring calm at the border appear to be making progress.

Iran, the sponsor of the militias that dragged Lebanon into the war between Hamas and Israel, would not accept being excluded from talks related to a regional settlement. This was evident from Hossein Abdollahian’s remarks at Beirut Airport, where he emphasized the “intrinsic” relationship between Lebanon’s security and that of his country, while indirectly calling on the United States to engage in talks on the situation in the region once again.

“Since the beginning of this crisis, we have loudly declared that war is not the solution and that American support for Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will only lead them to the failure they are currently experiencing,” he said, before stating that his country “will continue to support the forces of resistance in Lebanon.”

“We consider the security of Lebanon and Iran to have intrinsic value,” he added.

Regarding the war between Israel and Hamas since October 7, Abdollahian claimed that “Tel Aviv has not achieved any of its stated objectives.”

“What we are witnessing today has been achieved thanks to the power of resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, and the region,” he added.

The Iranian Foreign Minister will be received on Saturday by Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at 9:00 AM, then by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at 12:45 PM in Ain el-Tineh, and finally by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib at 3:00 PM.

It is worth mentioning that the Iranian minister was welcomed at the airport by representatives of the various militias operating against Israel from Lebanon, in addition to a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.