Youssef Rajji: Islamic Republic must stop sending weapons to Hezbollah

Youssef Rajji, Lebanon's foreign minister, on Sunday 18 October 2026, at the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Iraq, called on the Islamic Republic to end its interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, its opposition to the decisions of the Lebanese government, and its sending of weapons and money to Hezbollah. The organisation's foreign ministers' meeting is being held in Baghdad, the same gathering that Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, is also attending.

In his speech Rajji went beyond the Lebanese file and called on the Islamic Republic and "its affiliated groups" to stop attacks on the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council and on Jordan. He declared Lebanon's full solidarity with these countries and said Beirut opposes any restriction on the free passage of ships through international straits, especially the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.

Weapons under the monopoly of the Lebanese state

Lebanon's foreign minister referred to the August 2025 decision of his country's government to place all weapons under state control and to extend sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, saying that the existence of parallel armed forces undermines national sovereignty and that stability and development are possible only with a strong state. At the same time he condemned Israel's wide-ranging war against Lebanon and its occupation of parts of the country's territory, and spoke of a trilateral framework with the United States and Israel which, he said, could lead to Israel's complete withdrawal, the return of displaced people, the start of reconstruction, the release of prisoners, and the disarmament of all armed groups.

Rajji's remarks came a few days after Lebanese security forces seized a shipment of explosives on the Bekaa-to-Beirut route and Hezbollah, according to DIAR's earlier report, demanded its return. Hassan Fadlallah, Hezbollah's member of Lebanon's parliament, admitted that the shipment, nearly half a tonne, belonged to the group. Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's prime minister, called the affair a "criminal operation" and promised to prosecute those responsible.

Background to the tension between Beirut and Tehran

The Lebanese government's relationship with the Islamic Republic has repeatedly reached crisis point in recent months. In March 2026, hours after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in step with Tehran, the Lebanese government banned the group's military activity. Rajji had also said earlier that Hezbollah would not hand over its weapons without a decision from the Islamic Republic, and that relations between the two countries must proceed only through the official institutions of the Lebanese state, not through groups.

The Lebanese foreign minister's statements were made at a gathering that had earlier condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as "criminal", another sign of the growing isolation of the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups in the Arab world.

In the presence of his counterparts from Islamic countries, Lebanon's foreign minister accused the Islamic Republic of arming Hezbollah and interfering in his country's affairs.