Hosting G20 meeting, Bessent tries to rally allies on Iran as tariffs strain ties
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is meeting with finance ministers of the world's largest economies this week at a time when the United States has disrupted the international order with aggressive tariffs on major allies and an unpopular war on Iran.
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has emphasized the importance of conducting international relations through state institutions, in response to criticism from his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. Raggi stated that respecting sovereignty is a mutual principle, asserting that Lebanon does not accept independent engagement by Lebanese ambassadors or any other country with factions or parties, similar to how Iran would not tolerate such conduct.
This stance comes after Raggi declared Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, persona non grata in March, renewing his visa in August after a compromise, but he has not regained diplomatic status. Araghchi, however, expressed hope that Lebanon's Foreign Ministry would demonstrate "greater rationality" and reiterated Iran's interest in fostering good relations with "all groups and factions in Lebanon," alongside the Lebanese government.
Raggi countered that rational state-to-state relationships begin with engaging through legitimate constitutional institutions, not through internal factions. He welcomed Araghchi's expressed interest in maintaining robust bilateral ties with the Lebanese government. This diplomatic standoff is part of a broader tension between Lebanon and Iran over Iran's relationship with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanon has been pushing for the disarming of all militias, including Hezbollah, under growing pressure from the United States, which seeks to disarm the group of its weapons. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have declared Hezbollah's military activities unlawful and initiated direct peace talks with Israel to bring an end to hostilities.
The current conflict escalated on March 2 when Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel, retaliating for Israel's daily violations of a previous ceasefire. Israel's military retaliation has resulted in over 4,000 casualties and the destruction of numerous villages in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have deployed troops.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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