Envoy Voices Iran’s Support for Lebanon


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon expressed Tehran’s willingness to boost relations with Beirut, and added that the Islamic Republic will continue to support the Lebanese nation.

“We stressed Iran's interest in enhancing these relations and Iran’s (position) to stand by Lebanon and all Lebanese as well as the need to strengthen cooperation more and more, especially during this period,” Ghazanfar Roknabadi said after a meeting with Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in Beirut.

He also told reporters that his talks with the Lebanese politician mainly revolved around relations between Iran and its neighboring countries, the Persian Gulf littoral states in particular.

“I discussed with Siniora ways to boost relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and its neighbors, particularly Persian Gulf countries, at the top of the list the Saudi Arabia,” Roknabadi pointed out.

Roknabadi also said he had talked with Siniora about the latest developments in Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Top diplomats from Iran and the G5+1, also known as P5+1, which includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council --Russia, China, the US, Britain and France-- as well as Germany are to meet in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

This will be the first round of negotiations since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took office in early August. The last meeting between Iran and the G5+1 in the Kazakh city of Almaty ended with an impasse in April.