Iran Remains Ready to Continue Assisting Lebanon

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic of Iran remains ready to continue assisting Lebanon following the catastrophic explosion of August 4 that ravaged the port of Beirut and made the cabinet resign.

In a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut on Friday, Zarif expressed hope for a stable political situation in Lebanon through cooperation and coherence among all the Lebanese parties and groups.

The blast, the biggest ever to hit the Middle East, killed more than 170 people. Some 6,000 were injured.

Dozens of people are still missing, and at least 300,000 people have been displaced as a result of the huge blast.

A large supply of confiscated explosive material that had been stored in a warehouse at the port for the past six years is suspected to have caused the massive explosion, whose mushroom-shaped cloud has drawn comparisons with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif hailed Lebanon's victory against ‘Israel’ in the 33-day war in 2006, describing it as a symbol of the Lebanese people's capability to overcome hardships, including the current circumstances after the blast.

Aoun, for his part, thanked his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani for his message of solidarity after the blast.

August 14 marks the fourteenth anniversary of the end of the Zionist entity’s 33-day war on Lebanon.

Relatively, Zarif asserted that Tehran is ready to cooperate with the Lebanese government to supply the country's requirements in the current situation.

In a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the two sides exchanged views about possible ways to help Lebanon following the tragic incident. 

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Zarif pointed to the 14th anniversary of Lebanon's victory and said, "At this difficult time, this victory shows the Lebanese people's capability to counter difficulties."

He added that Iran supports the Lebanese government and nation with the recent catastrophe. "We believe that the world should now stand by and help the Lebanese people without setting any condition for that matter."