Ahmadinejad says Iran to expand ties with Lebanon

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, May 16 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic sought to expand its ties with Lebanon. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, May 16 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic sought to expand its ties with Lebanon.

Ahmadinejad said that it was essential to develop Tehran-Beirut relations in every domain, according to a statement released by the Presidential Office.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s new ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad-Reza Raouf Sheibani.

United States official have accused Tehran of supporting rejectionist groups operating in Lebanon in an attempt to destabilise the Middle East.

In January, hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad travelled to Damascus to meet with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

At the end of the trip, Ahmadinejad defended al-Assad in the United Nations probe into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minster Rafiq Hariri.

A UN-appointed committee investigation into Hariri’s assassination in 2005 found that senior Syrian leaders were directly involved.

Regional allies Iran and Syria are both accused by the United States of being state sponsors of terrorism.