Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi slammed Iran in the latest in a growing series of tensions between the countries. “Iran’s role is extremely negative, and its policies are among the chief sources of instability in Lebanon and the region,” Raggi wrote on social media on Monday.
Iran backs Hezbollah in Lebanon and has used Hezbollah in the past to assassinate Lebanese officials and citizens. The Islamic Republic has also used Lebanon as a base to attack Israel, bringing ruin and war to the country.
This is not the first time Raggi has taken on Iran. Back in April, he also blasted Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani. At the time, Raggi summoned Amani after the ambassador made comments about Hezbollah not disarming. Amani was injured in the pager attack in 2024 and appears to have been a key conduit for Iranian meddling in Lebanon.
Several months ago, Lebanon again condemned Iran’s meddling. “Relations between states must be based on mutual respect, equality, non-interference in domestic affairs, and full adherence to the decisions of legitimate constitutional institutions,” the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said.
“It is completely unacceptable for these relations to be used to promote or support domestic actors outside the framework of the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, or at the expense of the state itself,” the ministry said. This was in response to comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had backed Hezbollah.
Lebanon expresses concern over Iran's meddling in domestic issues
The latest spat began with Lebanon once again expressing concern that Iran was meddling in its internal affairs.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed accusations by Raggi, reports noted. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei mentioned the Lebanese comments. Iran also believes that Lebanon has been blocking the appointment and receipt of credentials of Iran’s new ambassador to Beirut.
Baghaei said that the priority for Beirut should be “defending Lebanon against Israel’s ongoing crimes.” Baghaei also said Iran has “submitted the relevant requests and completed the necessary procedures,” regarding the new Iranian ambassador.
The big question now is whether Lebanon’s prime minister and president will stand by their foreign minister or throw him under the bus. Raggi has led the charge while Lebanon’s leaders appear to be stalling on disarming Hezbollah.
The pro-Hezbollah Al Akhbar newspaper in Lebanon is now trying to create tensions and division. The paper claimed that “President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam informed those who contacted them of their displeasure with Raggi’s statements, whether in relation to the general situation or to relations with Iran in particular.”
This same report claimed that Aoun was concerned that Raggi was acting unilaterally. It wrote that, “for his part, Salam expressed his displeasure with Raggi’s statements, affirming to his visitors that they ‘in no way reflect the position of the Lebanese government, regardless of any reservations Lebanon may have regarding Iran’s role in Lebanon and the region.’”
Further, Al Akhbar accused Raggi of being a “political minister” and noted his affiliation with the Christian Lebanese Forces political party.
Raggi has previously served in several diplomatic roles for Lebanon, including in Washington, Brussels, and at the UN. He was also a senior official in Lebanon’s embassy in Morocco and the ambassador to Jordan.
In order to try to sideline Raggi, Al Akhbar reported that “it is noted that Arab and foreign diplomats in Lebanon avoid holding regular meetings with Raggi, while several Lebanese ambassadors at the Foreign Affairs Ministry acknowledge the difficulty of conducting any dialogue with him.” The goal of Iran and Hezbollah now is to have Raggi reprimanded for his statements.