Ghalibaf maintains Hezbollah contacts as Lebanon denounces Iranian interference

Iranian leaders have continued to describe Hezbollah as a central component of the “Axis of Resistance.”

By Vered Weiss World Israel News

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said he remains in direct contact with Hezbollah fighters on the front lines in Lebanon, despite repeated demands from Lebanese officials that Tehran not interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

“I had a close friendship and relationship with every martyr of Lebanon, and I am still in contact with the (Hezbollah) fighters on the front lines in Lebanon,” Ghalibaf said, according to a Saturday report by the Saudi channel Al Arabiya.

Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s top negotiator, said Hezbollah and Lebanon were included in the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, Al Arabiya reported.

His comments come after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun publicly warned Iran against involvement in Lebanese affairs. In an interview with CNN in June, Aoun directed a message at Tehran rejecting such interference.

“This is not your country, it is our country, and it is our duty and your job not to interfere in our country,” Aoun said.

Ghalibaf has publicly linked regional diplomatic discussions and possible ceasefires with Hezbollah’s operational position while using Lebanese political channels.

Iranian leaders have continued to describe Hezbollah as a central component of the “Axis of Resistance,” while Ghalibaf has emphasized close institutional ties between Tehran and the terrorist organization.

Lebanon also formally challenged Iranian involvement earlier this year.

In April 2026, Lebanon’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ahmad Arafa, sent a sharply worded letter to the UN Security Council that was registered as UN document S/2026/343.

The letter accused Iran of blatant interference in Lebanon’s domestic affairs and of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It also accused Tehran of dragging Lebanon into a destructive war.

Initial media accounts described the letter as a formal complaint against Iran. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry later said the communication was an official diplomatic response to earlier letters sent by Tehran.

HezbollahIranMohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf