Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in Beirut on Wednesday, as Tehran moves to bolster its weakened terror proxy and maintain its presence in Lebanon.

During their meeting, Qassem expressed gratitude to the Islamist regime in Iran for its regional influence and “steadfast support of Palestinian resistance factions.”

According to local media, he also emphasized his commitment to Lebanon’s “progress, stability, sovereignty, and the expulsion of occupation from its territory.”

The Iranian-backed terrorist group has been struggling to maintain its political grip in Lebanon as it continues to reel from the devastating consequences of its war with Israel — a conflict that erupted after Hezbollah expressed “solidarity” with Hamas following the Palestinian terrorist group’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

As part of his trip to Beirut, Araghchi also met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — a key Hezbollah ally.

During those meetings, the top Iranian diplomat stressed the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries and reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to providing economic, political, and social support through enhanced cooperation.

“I expressed my full support for Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and reconstruction in light of Israel’s occupation,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X. “Our goal and hope is to open a new chapter in our centuries-old relationship, built on mutual respect and shared interests.”

سررتُ بالعودة إلى بيروت الجميلة. خلال اجتماعاتي مع الرئيس، ورئيس مجلس النواب، ورئيس الوزراء، ووزير الخارجية، أعربتُ عن دعمي الكامل لاستقلال لبنان وسيادته وسلامة أراضيه وإعادة إعماره في ظل الاحتلال الإسرائيلي.

هدفنا وآملنا هو فتح صفحة جديدة في علاقتنا الممتدة لقرون، والمبنية على… pic.twitter.com/Gnv2sQeNaA

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 4, 2025

For his part, Aoun emphasized the importance of dialogue in “resolving differences” and highlighted post-war reconstruction as a top priority for his government.

According to local media, Araghchi also said that Iranian companies are prepared to contribute to the country’s post-war reconstruction efforts.

Since Lebanon’s US-backed army commander took office earlier this year and a new cabinet with reduced influence for Hezbollah was established, the terrorist group has faced mounting calls for disarmament as the new government seeks to assert full control over the country’s territory.

In November, Lebanon and Israel reached a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended a year of fighting between the Jewish state and Hezbollah. Under the agreement, Israel was given 60 days to withdraw from Lebanon’s southern border, allowing the Lebanese army and UN forces to take over security as Hezbollah disarms and moves away from Israel’s northern border.

Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, Israeli officials have said it will retain control of five strategic positions in the south of the country until the Lebanese army demonstrates it can maintain security there.

Last fall, Israel decimated much of Hezbollah’s leadership and military capabilities with an air and ground offensive, which ended with the ceasefire.

Tens of thousands of residents in northern Israel were forced to evacuate their homes last year due to relentless attacks from Hezbollah, which expressed solidarity with Hamas amid the Gaza war.

Last month, the Lebanese government and the Palestinian Authority reached an agreement to disarm all 12 Palestinian refugee camps across Lebanon. Both leaders pledged that Palestinian factions would refrain from using Lebanese territory as a launchpad for attacks against Israel and that all weapons would be placed under government control.