Lebanon's foreign ministry reprimanded Tehran's ambassador to Beirut on Thursday over comments alleging that plans to disarm Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were a "conspiracy".
Iran's ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani, Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon's foreign ministry reprimanded Tehran's ambassador to Beirut on Thursday over comments alleging that plans to disarm Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were a "conspiracy".
Hezbollah is under mounting pressure to relinquish its arsenal after a 2024 conflict with Israel badly weakened it and left much of southern Lebanon in ruins.
President Joseph Aoun is expected to begin talks with the group on disarmament, seen for years as a taboo subject because of the group's sway over the Lebanese state.
On April 18, Iran's ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani posted on X that "the disarmament project is a clear conspiracy".
"We in the Islamic Republic of Iran are aware of the danger of this conspiracy ... we warn others not to fall into the trap of enemies," he wrote.
On Thursday, Lebanon's foreign ministry said it had summoned Amani "due to his recent public stances" and that top ministry official Hani Shmaytelli "informed him of the need to adhere to diplomatic protocols ... on the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs".
Amani told Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed on Wednesday that he had been summoned specifically over the X post, but that he had missed that first appointment - resulting in him being summoned again on Thursday.
Criticism of Iran by top Lebanese officials was unusual for years, particularly given Tehran's sponsorship of Hezbollah.
Last year, then-prime minister Najib Mikati made a rare rebuke to Iran and said Amani should be summoned over reported comments by a senior Iranian official.
Reporting by Maya Gebeily
Hezbollah has begun a major strategic review in the wake of its devastating war with Israel, including considering scaling back its role as an armed movement without disarming completely, three sources familiar with the deliberations say.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Thursday against a network that smuggles Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil, and on a Hezbollah-controlled financial institution, the Treasury Department said.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
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