Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi granted a lengthy interview to Al Mayadeen’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, in which Araghchi explained, among other things, how Iran views Lebanon.
Araghchi said Iran remains committed to pursuing a ceasefire across Lebanon and the wider region, arguing that any cessation of hostilities cannot be addressed in isolation and stressing that any end to attacks must include the Lebanese front as part of a unified battlefield shaped by ongoing regional confrontations with Israel and the United States. Araghchi said that ending the war in Lebanon is inseparable from ending the Israeli occupation in South Lebanon, arguing that any ceasefire must be accompanied by a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas and a comprehensive political settlement preserving Lebanon’s territorial unity.
Responding to a question from Ben Jeddou about whether Iran would continue supporting Lebanon and assist in rebuilding areas devastated by Israeli attacks, Araghchi said ending the war requires more than a ceasefire. “Ending the war on Lebanon also means ending the occupation,” Araghchi said, adding that any settlement must be accompanied by a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
