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Ali Larijani’s high-profile visit to Lebanon as the special envoy of the clerical dictatorship has ended in a diplomatic debacle, underscoring the regime’s mounting regional isolation after a string of strategic defeats.
In meetings with Lebanon’s top leadership, both President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam delivered unprecedentedly direct rebukes, rejecting any foreign interference and condemning recent Iranian statements opposing Beirut’s plan to disarm Hezbollah. Aoun stressed that “only the state holds weapons” and warned that Lebanon’s friendship with Iran must be with “all Lebanese, not just one group.” Salam was even sharper, declaring that “the time has come to close the chapter of others’ meddling,” and describing Iranian officials’ remarks as a “clear violation of diplomatic principles” and an “affront to sovereignty.”
The rejection extended beyond the presidential palace. Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi publicly ridiculed Larijani’s claim that time constraints prevented a meeting, saying he would not have met him “even if there was time.” Lebanese media depicted the trip as an “open provocation” and a “storm of incitement,” with even independent political figures calling it blatant interference. Social networks amplified the backlash, while some lawmakers urged that Larijani be declared persona non grata.
Ali Larijani’s First Regional Tour as Security Chief Met With Hostility in #Lebanon and #Iraqhttps://t.co/AAjBZ5UMSA
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 12, 2025
Symbolic setbacks added to the humiliation. Syria reportedly denied overflight clearance, forcing Larijani’s plane to reroute. His final press conference in Beirut was marred by tense exchanges with journalists, and his public schedule conspicuously excluded Lebanon’s foreign minister.
Analysts note that the visit came at a moment of acute vulnerability for Tehran’s regional axis: Hezbollah’s leadership decimated in recent Israeli strikes, its forces weakened, and a historic Lebanese government decision moving ahead with disarmament despite fierce objections from the clerical dictatorship. Observers in Beirut and Arab media alike read the Lebanese leadership’s blunt stance as a marker of shifting power — a rare willingness to confront Tehran head-on.
For the regime in Tehran, the failed charm offensive in Beirut is more than a diplomatic embarrassment; it is another sign that after years of projecting power through regional militias, the tide is turning, and its leverage is slipping across multiple fronts.