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The Lebanese state must have a monopoly on weapons in the country and the transfer of Iran-backed Hezbollah's arms to Beirut should proceed via direct talks between the presidency and the group, Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday.
“The decision has been made to restrict the possession of weapons to the state,” Aoun told the London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed in an interview published ahead of his visit to Qatar, saying the move ought to be carried out this year.
“The implementation process remains to be decided through dialogue, which I see as bilateral between the presidency and Hezbollah.”
Washington has pressed for Hezbollah’s disarmament, but Aoun said he warned US envoy Morgan Ortagus about the risk of triggering civil strife.
Hezbollah receives extensive military and financial support from Iran, including arms, training, and strategic guidance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iranian help has allowed the group to grow into one of the most formidable non-state military organizations on earth.
However, both Iran and Hezbollah have faced strategic setbacks in recent months. Israeli strikes killed many high-ranking Hezbollah commanders and key IRGC personnel in Syria, while Iran’s influence over its proxies in Iraq and Yemen appears to be shifting under regional and international pressure.
Outlining a future security transition, Aoun rejected forming a Hezbollah-only military unit along the lines of Iraq’s Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces. Instead, he said Hezbollah members who meet military standards could be absorbed individually into the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Over 150 hardline Iranian lawmakers urged a key decision-making body on Tuesday to block Iran’s accession to the Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Palermo conventions, two key components of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reform package.
In a letter published Tuesday addressed to the chair of the Expediency Council Sadeq Amoli Larijani, they warned against endorsing the bills “until the threat of the snapback mechanism is fully lifted.”
Snapback refers to the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal framework. The UN snapback mechanism is expected to expire in October 2025—unless a party triggers it beforehand.
Their appeal signals deep resistance in conservative circles to legislation seen as necessary to remove Iran from the FATF blacklist.
The CFT targets terrorism financing while the Palermo convention tackles transnational crime. Their passage has stalled since parliament passed them with reservations.
Larijani recently suggested conditional approval was possible, citing parliamentary safeguards. But MPs insisted even a conditional endorsement could expose Iran to economic penalties.
Over 150 hardline Iranian lawmakers urged a key decision-making body on Tuesday to block Iran’s accession to the Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Palermo conventions, two key components of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reform package.
In a letter published Tuesday addressed to the chair of the Expediency Council Sadeq Amoli Larijani, they warned against endorsing the bills “until the threat of the snapback mechanism is fully lifted.”
Snapback refers to the automatic reimposition of UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal framework. The UN snapback mechanism is expected to expire in October 2025—unless a party triggers it beforehand.
Their appeal signals deep resistance in conservative circles to legislation seen as necessary to remove Iran from the FATF blacklist.
The CFT targets terrorism financing while the Palermo convention tackles transnational crime. Their passage has stalled since parliament passed them with reservations.
Larijani recently suggested conditional approval was possible, citing parliamentary safeguards. But MPs insisted even a conditional endorsement could expose Iran to economic penalties.
US President Donald Trump and the Sultan of Oman in a phone call on Tuesday discussed Tehran-Washington negotiations mediated by Muscat, the Omani news agency said.
The US president appreciated Oman's efforts in the ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington, the agency added.
"They also discussed ways to support these negotiations to achieve the desired results," the report said.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said Iran must eliminate its nuclear enrichment program on Tuesday after suggesting in an interview with Fox News the previous evening that Washington would tolerate some enrichment.
"A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal," his official account on X quoted him as saying.
"Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East -- meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program."
