Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raji said he had declined an invitation from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to visit Tehran as Beirut continues to push for the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Israel mauled the group at the tail end of a year-long war which ended in November of last year, after which the Lebanese government tasked the army with confiscating Hezbollah's arsenal by 2026.
Iran has resisted the initiative to defang the group which it founded in 1982, saying continued Israeli attacks justify what it calls Hezbollah's resistance.
In a written reply published by Lebanon’s foreign ministry on X, Raji said not accepting the visit “does not mean rejecting discussion,” adding that “the favorable conditions are not available.”
He renewed an invitation to Araghchi to meet in “a neutral third country to be agreed upon.”
Raji said Lebanon was ready to establish “a new phase of constructive relations” with Iran, but only if ties were based “exclusively on mutual respect and absolute respect for the independence and sovereignty of each country and non-interference in internal affairs under any pretext.”
“Building any strong state cannot happen unless the state alone, through its national army, holds the exclusive right to carry arms and the sole authority over decisions of war and peace,” he added, saying Araghchi was welcome to visit Lebanon.
Iran invitation amid Hezbollah debate
Iran invited Raji to Tehran earlier this month to discuss bilateral ties, according to Iran’s foreign ministry, amid growing debate in Lebanon over the future of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group and calls for state control over weapons.
The exchange followed criticism in Beirut of comments by Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, who said Hezbollah’s existence was more important than “bread and water” for Lebanon.
Responding at the time, Raji wrote on X: “What is more important than bread and water for us is our sovereignty, freedom and independent decision-making,” rejecting what he described as outside interference.
Lebanon’s stance comes as Israel and Lebanon expand contacts through a committee monitoring their 2024 ceasefire, with Beirut saying the group could verify Israeli accusations that Hezbollah is re-arming.
Israel continues to occupy outposts on Lebanese territory and has launched a series of deadly attacks which it says targets Hezbollah militants despite the ceasefire.
“Tehran and Minsk have complementary economies and can meet each other’s needs,” Aref said, stressing that political goodwill between the two nations provides “a strong basis for broadening ties in trade, industry, and technology.”
The two-day meeting, co-chaired by Iran’s Industry Minister Mohammad Atabak and Belarusian Industry Minister Andrei Kuznetsov, brought together senior officials, business representatives, and experts from both countries to outline a new phase of economic, scientific, and industrial cooperation.
Atabak announced that Tehran and Minsk had agreed to establish joint industrial plants in Sistan-Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran, focusing on the production of heavy machinery, agricultural equipment, and mining technology as part of efforts to expand bilateral industrial cooperation. He called the initiative “a turning point” in bilateral industrial relations and part of efforts to implement the Iran–Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) free trade agreement.
Atabak added that the two governments aim to remove banking and customs obstacles, enhance trade facilitation, and allow Belarusian firms to use Iran’s southern ports as gateways to markets in India, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Officials also discussed joint ventures in pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and higher education, including university partnerships and mutual recognition of degrees. Aref said these initiatives could “turn scientific and technological cooperation into one of the pillars” of Iran–Belarus relations.
Iran’s cyber police, known as FATA (Iran’s internet crime enforcement agency), blocked the account of Niousha Mofidi, a young woman who performed solo at a concert by Iranian pop singer Hamid Hami.
All posts on her Instagram account, which had nearly 12,000 followers, were deleted. Security officials said the page was closed for “producing criminal content.”
A video shared on social media showed Mofidi singing along from the audience while Hami told others, “Let her sing,” then remained silent so her voice could be heard alone. Mofidi had previously posted videos of her singing on Instagram.
The Instagram account of Iranian rapper Evi, which had nearly 26,000 followers, was also taken offline on Monday. She had previously said security agencies contacted her, demanding she delete her page within 24 hours—a demand she refused.
“I will stand with my people for the rest of my life and will not accept anything that contradicts living freely, even if it is presented in the name of religious law,” she said in a post.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been banned from singing in the presence of men, based on religious interpretations. The policy ended the official careers of female singers active before the revolution and pushed their work to the margins.
In recent months, repression against singers and music activists—particularly those opposing the mandatory hijab—has intensified.
More than 160 artists, civil activists, and organizations, including 19 based inside Iran in April condemned the government’s increasing crackdown on female singers, describing it as part of a systematic effort to suppress women and reinforce a gender-discriminatory system.
