The remarks by Ali Akbar Velayati came as Lebanon faces pressure from the United States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, which engaged in more than a year of hostilities with Israel following the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

The fighting peaked with Israel’s fourth invasion of Lebanon and a bombing campaign that struck densely populated areas across the country, including the capital Beirut.

Despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024, Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon and occupies five areas in the country’s southern highlands.

“Hezbollah, as one of the most important pillars of the resistance front, plays a fundamental role in confronting Zionism,” state news agency IRNA quoted Velayati as telling Hezbollah’s representative in Tehran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, under the leadership and orders of the (supreme) leader, will continue to resolutely support this valuable and selfless group on the front lines of the resistance,” he added.

Iran has for years backed what it calls the “axis of resistance”, a network of armed groups opposed to Israel that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi movement in Yemen.

Hezbollah has been weakened by its recent war with Israel and by the overthrow of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, who had provided the group with a key overland link to Iran.

Lebanon has committed to disarming Hezbollah, starting in the south, where the group has long held sway.

Velayati’s comments drew sharp criticism from Beirut after he said in late November that the “existence of Hezbollah is more essential for Lebanon than daily bread”.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi responded on X that “what is more important to us than water and bread is our sovereignty, our freedom, and the independence of our internal decision-making”.

Following the exchange, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi officially invited Raggi to visit Tehran for negotiations.

Raggi declined the invitation, saying he could not accept the trip under current circumstances and proposing instead that talks be held in Beirut or in a neutral third country agreed by both sides. He said his decision did not amount to a rejection of dialogue with Iran and stressed the need for relations based on respect for Lebanese sovereignty and non-interference.

In response, Araghchi wrote on X that he found Raggi’s position “bemusing”, saying foreign ministers of countries with full diplomatic relations did not require a neutral venue to meet. He added that he would “gladly accept” an invitation to visit Beirut instead.

“Subjected to Israeli occupation and blatant ‘ceasefire’ violations, I fully understand why my esteemed Lebanese counterpart is not prepared to visit Tehran,” Araghchi wrote.

Raggi later told Al Jazeera that Iran’s role in the region was “extremely negative” and one of the sources of instability, particularly in Lebanon.

In a separate post on X, he blamed Iran for Hezbollah not having been disarmed.

“Hezbollah cannot hand over its weapons without an Iranian decision, and its concern today is to buy time and preserve itself internally in order to rebuild its power,” Raggi said.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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