Iran, Hezbollah cementing ties

Noura Bendari

Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, paid a visit to Beirut, Lebanon, on September 1, arriving from Syria.

During his visit to the Lebanese capital, the Iranian top diplomat held talks with Hezbollah’s Chief, Hassan Nasrallah, on latest developments in Lebanon and the region.

The visit comes in conjunction with Israeli threats to Hezbollah to launch a military operation if the latter does not stop threatening Israeli forces.

Iranian motives

It is important to note that the Iranian regime tries to end the political vacuum created in Lebanon because of the vacancy of the post of the president of the state.

Lebanon has been facing this problem since last October, following the end of the term of President Michel Aoun.

The Iranian foreign minister said he would discuss this issue with various Lebanese parties to reach understandings leading to the election of a new president.

This throws light on the mullah’s keenness on having a president in Lebanon who serves the Iranian agenda and interests on Lebanese soil.

This comes within the framework of what is known as the ‘export of the revolution’ scheme and Tehran’s attempts to control a number of countries in the region, most notably Yemen; Syria; Lebanon, and also Iraq.

Amir-Abdollahian’s meeting with Nasrallah may be aimed at enhancing cooperation between Iran and the Lebanese party to find a president compatible with the various Lebanese political forces and at the same time serving Iran.

The meeting also had probably focused on enhancing military cooperation between the Lebanese party and Tehran in order to repel Israeli attacks in the region.

Iran brooks no delay in providing various types of weapons to Hezbollah, which explains why the latter recently reviewed its military arsenal, as a pressure card to convey a message to Israel that the Lebanese party is able to confront the Israeli forces in the south of the country.

The mullahs’ approach

Iranian affairs specialist, Masoud Ibrahim Hassan, said the meeting confirms that Iranian policies regarding its militias in the region have not been affected by any treaties to restore relations between Iran and other regional states, whether with Saudi Arabia or the countries of the region.

“The Iranian approach has not changed and Tehran will not lift its hand off these militias, even if it has made some concessions over the past few months to open new horizons for itself at the regional and international levels,” Hassan told The Reference.

“This is something that Arab countries should pay attention to, and impose conditions on Iran, most notably renouncing support for these loyal militias in the countries of the region,” he added.