Lebanese-Iranian diplomatic relations have never reached this level of escalation and tension. Yet those who have followed the trajectory of this relationship were not surprised by the formal response letter submitted by Lebanon's Foreign Ministry against Iran before the United Nations and the Security Council — a reply to an earlier Iranian letter deemed "full of falsehoods." Lebanon's Foreign Ministry letter is unprecedented in its sharpness, and the first of its kind under the heading: accusing Iran of interfering in Lebanon's sovereign decision-making and entangling the state in a war it never chose.
Sources close to the Foreign Ministry reveal that the move was prepared in coordination with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, both of whom are fully and deeply briefed on it. This sharply worded letter was preceded by two earlier letters submitted by the Foreign Ministry to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on April 21, which challenged the Iranian account of the killing of Iranian diplomats during an Israeli airstrike on the Ramada Hotel in Beirut on March 8. Investigations confirmed that those killed were not diplomats but officials of Iran's Revolutionary Guards — a finding considered a violation of the Vienna Convention.
There is little doubt that Denise Rahme Fakhry, adviser to Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, deliberately released the letter to the media, and its contents are now publicly known. Sources confirm that it contains facts and documented realities that cannot be glossed over — foremost among them that the Iranian "diplomats" were in fact members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and that photographs circulated showing them in military uniforms. Lebanon deemed this a violation of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, which obliges diplomats to respect the laws of the host state and refrain from interfering in its internal affairs, and which prohibits the use of diplomatic premises for purposes incompatible with diplomatic functions.
Also notable is the fact that the Iranian embassy did not coordinate with Lebanon's Foreign Ministry regarding the transfer of these individuals to the hotel, and that some of those killed were not officially registered as diplomats. Adding to the opacity of the situation, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry had twice requested an updated list of the Iranian embassy's diplomatic staff from the Iranian side and received no response by the time the letter was submitted.
The second matter raised in the response letter — no less significant, according to sources close to the Foreign Ministry — went beyond the scope of a direct reply to the Iranian letter. It addressed Iran's challenge to Lebanon's decision to expel the appointed Iranian ambassador, Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani, declare him persona non grata, and demand his departure from Lebanese territory before March 29. The Foreign Ministry stated that his conduct constituted "a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention, whether through media statements considered interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, or through his refusal to comply with the host state's decision to leave."
The third matter focused on the announcement by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on March 11 of the launch of their first coordinated joint operation with Hezbollah since the outbreak of the most recent war, using missiles and drones to strike more than 50 targets inside Israel. Sources described this as "a matter of grave concern."
Al-Modon asked its sources how they would respond to Hezbollah's displeasure with this letter — whose content appears closer to a formal grievance — and to the party's claim that Lebanon's Foreign Ministry is fulfilling American and Israeli dictates rather than filing complaints against Israeli criminal attacks and violations, including the demolition of buildings and homes in southern villages and the killing of civilians. The sources responded that the letter issued — the first ever filed against Iran — came after a series of complaints against Israel, the most significant of which include:
- Documentation of Israeli violations in a series of ten complaints filed over the past four months.
- A complaint against Israel regarding attacks on Red Cross workers, paramedics, and journalists.
- A complaint against statements by the Israeli finance and defense ministers regarding the annexation of Lebanon.
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A complaint against Israeli demolition operations in southern villages and land confiscation.
Sources note that the Foreign Minister has never faltered in defending Lebanon's rights against any attempt to violate them — whether Israeli or Iranian — and will not tolerate any assault on Lebanese sovereignty, regardless of the party behind it. This is therefore not merely a diplomatic step, but a pivotal sovereign act that restores Lebanon's dignity after years of violations and transgressions.
Al-Modon has learned that Lebanon's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ahmad Arafa, will follow up on the letter at the Security Council. He had previously held Hezbollah responsible for igniting the war with Israel during an emergency Security Council session in April. Sources believe that while this letter may not deter Iran's blatant interference in Lebanon, it preserves the state's sovereign right to confront these violations of international law through diplomatic channels.
There is no disagreement that Lebanese authorities have taken unprecedented measures against Iran in recent months — measures that affirm the state's rejection of Hezbollah's dominance and its Iranian frame of reference over official Lebanese decision-making, as had been the case in previous years. The Lebanese government has moved from the theoretical to the operational, through the letter transmitted to the United Nations and the Security Council.
