FM: Iran ready to end electricity crisis in Lebanon
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Tehran is ready to help build power stations in Lebanon to end a decades-old electricity shortage crisis in the West Asian country.
Addressing a press conference in Beirut on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran has on many occasions offered its proposals to solve the crisis in Lebanon and is now ready to send technical and engineering teams to Beirut in order to build power plants to generate 2,000MW electricity.
The FM said major Iranian companies have built power plants in the neighboring states and other countries across the world, saying, "This contract is to the benefit of both sides."
Iran welcomes any initiative aimed at settling the problem of electricity and energy shortage in Lebanon at the earliest, he said.
Regional borders should be borders of friendship
Amir-Abdollahian said during visits to Syria and Lebanon, he held talks with senior officials of the two countries about significant mutual, regional and international developments.
He said only Baghdad and Damascus must make decisions about border transportation. "The borders of our region should be the borders of economic and commercial friendship. There is no need for restoration of the military and security measures along with Iraq-Syria common borders."
Any normalization of ties with Israel 'strategic' mistake
The top diplomat said Iran believes any normalization of relations with the fake regime of Israel would be a "strategic" mistake.
"We always advise our friends in the region to prevent any normalization of relations with a regime that brought nothing to the region but insecurity," Amir-Abdollahian stated.
Iran, Lebanon enjoy deep-rooted strategic ties
Elsewhere in the presser, Amir-Abdollahian pointed to deep-rooted strategic ties between Iran and Lebanon and said Tehran closely monitors the developments in Beirut.
Iran would continue to support the resistance movement in a bid to ensure security of Lebanon and the entire region and counter Israel, he said.
The minister denounced any foreign intervention in Lebanon's political affairs.
Emphasizing that Iran has never interfered in the domestic affairs of Lebanon, the minister said Tehran will "continue to strongly support the government, nation, army and resistance in Lebanon" upon its request.
He reiterated Tehran's support for any agreement among the Lebanese political leaders on the election of the president and the formation of a new government. Amir-Abdollahian said he held a "very promising" meeting with Secretary-General of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The Hezbollah chief emphasized that in case of any mistake by the Israeli regime, the situation against the Zionists will change in less than a few hours, the Iranian minister said.
Amir-Abdollahian said the Israeli regime is "suffering from multifaceted and security crises inside the occupied territories."
Iran-US agreement positively impacts indirect sanctions-removal talks
Amir-Abdollahian further said Iran has always supported diplomacy and negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
A recent agreement between Iran and the United States on unfreezing Iran's assets illegally frozen in foreign banks and the exchange of prisoners will have a "positive impact on indirect talks about the removal of sanctions."
The top Iranian diplomat reiterated Tehran's political will to revive the JCPOA if all parties fulfill their obligations as per the deal.
The exchange of messages between Iran and the parties in the nuclear agreement are currently underway based on an initiative made by Oman, he noted.
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