In a blatant breach of diplomatic norms and a dangerous escalation that crosses every red line, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, made a provocative statement on April 20, declaring that “disarming Hezbollah is a clear conspiracy that targets the security and stability of the region.”
This was no passing opinion, but rather an outrageous and obscene interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs—an open threat to what remains of the concept of a Lebanese state, a state currently occupied by the weapons of Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist militia and mere proxy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Amani’s statement is yet another shameless reiteration of Iran’s imperial vision: one of dominance, arrogance, and foreign occupation. Tehran’s aim has always been to transform Lebanon into a military base for the IRGC, all under the deceitful banner of so-called “resistance.”
And because the Lebanese people have had enough, the government, albeit belatedly, responded with an urgent summons of the ambassador by Foreign Minister Youssef Raji. This move, though symbolic, was a bold Lebanese stance against Iran’s ever-deepening intrusion and a direct response to its ambassador’s violation of the Vienna Convention, which governs the conduct of diplomatic missions.
What the Lebanese public—and the world—must understand is that this ambassador is not just a diplomat. He is actively embedded within Hezbollah’s leadership networks. Amani was severely wounded in the “pager bomb” explosions—operations executed by Israeli intelligence—that targeted Hezbollah officials across Lebanon. At the time of the blasts, Amani was carrying a pager device, revealing his direct involvement in Hezbollah’s security and intelligence infrastructure. He later appeared publicly alongside Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, confirming his covert military and security role under a diplomatic cover.
All the facts point to one conclusion: Iran’s embassy in Beirut has long since transformed into a de facto military operations room—an IRGC command center that coordinates arms smuggling, destabilization campaigns, and the subversion of Lebanese sovereignty. This includes the now-exposed role of Iranian planes, once landing freely at Beirut International Airport, used to smuggle weapons and cash until Lebanese authorities were forced to ban their landing after repeated violations were exposed. It also includes illegal telecom networks that exert more control over Lebanese territory than the official state apparatus.
The ambassador’s terrorist, anti-Lebanese remarks cannot be viewed in isolation. They come within a broader climate of threats and intimidation issued by Hezbollah leaders themselves. Figures like Secretary-General Naim Qassem, and officials Wafiq Safa and Mahmoud Qamati, have openly and arrogantly declared that “the hand that reaches for Hezbollah’s weapons will be cut off.”
Are we now living in a Republic of Fear? Or will the Lebanese state reclaim its stolen sovereignty? What’s worse, Hezbollah—after dragging Lebanon into a catastrophic war with Israel—has plunged the country into widespread destruction across the South, the Bekaa, and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Tens of thousands of Shiites and other Lebanese have been killed, wounded, or displaced. Yet Hezbollah shamelessly cloaks this disaster with hollow slogans like “steadfastness,” trying to justify what was, in truth, a defeat. The ceasefire was imposed on the group, and it submitted—despite all the loud propaganda and hollow bravado.
At this point, the continued presence of this ambassador and the functioning of the Iranian embassy in Beirut are no longer just sovereignty issues. They represent a direct threat to Lebanon’s national security. That is why we loudly and unequivocally demand the following: Immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in Beirut, which serves as a military command center, not a diplomatic mission. Expulsion of Mojtaba Amani, a proven IRGC officer masquerading as an ambassador. Total severance of diplomatic relations with the Iranian regime, which occupies Lebanon, threatens its unity, and prevents the re-establishment of a sovereign state.
To rebuild Lebanon, the weapons of Hezbollah must no longer supersede the authority of the state. Its shadow state must be dismantled. So long as Lebanon remains infiltrated by IRGC intelligence operatives, there will be no reform, no reconstruction, no rescue, and certainly no real elections. Hezbollah must be disarmed, its leadership arrested and prosecuted, and its entire military, educational, financial, and political infrastructure dismantled—permanently banishing it from all political, social, cultural, and parliamentary life.
Lebanon will never be free until the Iranian occupation is broken. Ceasefire agreements and international resolutions, Armistice Agreement,1559, 1701, and 1680—must be enforced in full. And if necessary, Lebanon must be placed under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, with immediate steps taken to reassert state authority, even if only once—before the final light of Lebanon’s sovereignty is forever extinguished.
