The top diplomat made the remarks after deplaning at the city’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Tuesday, where he arrived following a visit to Egypt.
“Today, I will meet with senior Lebanese officials,” he told reporters, adding that Iran was “determined to keep up these [bilateral] relations based on mutual respect and the mutual interests between the two countries.”
The official underscored that Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty continued to bear much significance for the Islamic Republic and the broader West Asia region by extension.
“We have supported Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity at every stage,” he said, pledging continued backing on the part of Tehran for such imperatives “in the face of the Zionist regime [of Israel]’s occupation.”
Iran’s continued adherence to non-interference principle
Araghchi, however, clarified that the Islamic Republic’s support for Lebanon should not be misconstrued as a means of political interference.
“This, of course, means the support of a friendly country for its friends in Lebanon,” he stated. “It, by no means, constitutes interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”
“No country in the region has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of other regional countries,” he further underlined, backing up his assertion.
Iran’s reaffirmation of support for Lebanon follows a recent escalation in Israeli military aggression against the nation.
