In a post on his X account on Thursday, Araghchi wrote that he was grateful to his Leabnese counterpart for his kind invitation.

The Iranian minister expressed surprise at Rajji’s rejection of the invitation to visit Iran. He added that “Foreign ministers of nations with brotherly and full diplomatic relations need no neutral venue to meet.”

The Iranian minister blamed Israeli occupation and ceasefire violations for the rejection of Iran’s invitation.

By contrast, Araghchi said he accepts his Lebanese counterpart’s invitation to visit Lebanon gladly.

He concluded his past by stressing that Iran, too, seeks a new chapter in bilateral relations based on the precise principles foreign minister Rajji outlines.