Iran: Saad Hariri's Remarks Are a Glimmer of Hope for His Return to Lebanon

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry described Saad Hariri's remarks, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, as 'a glimmer of hope' for his return to Lebanon and for completing the legal steps regarding his resignation. According to Mehr News Agency, Bahram Qasemi expressed hope on Monday, November 13, during a press conference with journalists, that Mr. Hariri would return to Lebanon and complete the legal procedures for his resignation in that country. He emphasized that Hariri's resignation in another country and his failure to return to his homeland was 'an unusual and unprecedented act.' Qasemi also stated that Tehran considers the incident involving Mr. Hariri to be 'an internal issue in Lebanon' and will not interfere. The spokesperson expressed hope that Lebanon would 'move towards stability and calm as soon as possible.' Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, announced on Sunday evening, November 12, after several days of silence regarding his resignation, that he is 'free' and will 'soon' return to his country. Mr. Hariri had resigned on November 4 in a televised speech in Saudi Arabia, criticizing Iran's 'interference' and Hezbollah's involvement in Arab affairs. Some Lebanese officials, including the President of the country, stated that Hariri's freedom in Riyadh was 'limited' and called for his immediate return. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, also accused Saudi Arabia on Friday, November 10, of forcing Saad Hariri to resign from the position of Prime Minister of Lebanon and keeping him under detention to 'destabilize' Lebanon. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and attacks on its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad. Both countries accuse each other of interfering in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson characterized Saudi Arabia's request to the Arab League for an extraordinary meeting in Cairo regarding Iran as related to what he called 'internal and regional problems' of that country. Qasemi accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to deflect attention from its 'repeated failures' and creating a consensus against Iran. The spokesperson also announced that British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is scheduled to visit Tehran by the end of the calendar year, in about a month and a half. Bahram Qasemi stated that this visit 'had been proposed earlier' and is 'not related' to Mr. Johnson's recent comments regarding Nazanin Zaghari. He added that the British Foreign Secretary will discuss 'a range of topics' with Iranian officials during this visit. Boris Johnson recently stated, 'When I look at Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's work, I see that, as I understand it, she was only teaching journalism to people. It's unbelievable.' This reference to Ms. Zaghari's teaching of journalism immediately drew a response from the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which stated that Nazanin Zaghari 'never' engaged in teaching journalists and is not a journalist herself. According to the statement, Ms. Zaghari was 'a program manager in the media development section' of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A few days later, after it was reported that Nazanin Zaghari was summoned to court again without prior notice and was told that Boris Johnson's remarks were evidence for the charge of 'propaganda against the system.' Following that, the Thomson Reuters Foundation issued another statement accusing Mr. Johnson of making inaccurate statements about the reason for Nazanin Zaghari's visit, which could potentially extend her prison sentence. However, the British government stated that the Islamic Republic should not bring new charges against her based on the Foreign Secretary's remarks, and Mr. Johnson's statements do not justify new charges against Ms. Zaghari. Meanwhile, Michael Gove, the British Environment Secretary, defended his country's Foreign Secretary regarding Nazanin Zaghari in an interview with BBC News, stating that in the case of this Iranian-British citizen imprisoned in Iran, it is Iran that should be held accountable, not Boris Johnson. In response to the remarks of the French President, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also mentioned that following the imminent visit of the French Foreign Minister to Tehran, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, is also expected to visit Iran, but no date has been set for this trip yet. Qasemi announced that Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, will visit Tehran in the coming weeks. He added, 'Emmanuel Macron's visit to Iran is on the agenda, and we will inform you when it is confirmed.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also stated that the recent remarks of the French President regarding Iran were 'not accurate' and called on French officials to pay more attention to regional issues 'with greater awareness and wisdom.' Qasemi had previously asked French officials on Saturday, November 11, not to be influenced by the insinuations of some in the region. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, had described Iran's activities in the region as 'very concerning' during a press conference in Dubai while visiting the United Arab Emirates last week, stating that 'there is a possibility of sanctions against Iran's missile program.' Regarding the establishment of a European Union office in Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also reacted by saying, 'The discussion of establishing a European Union office in Iran has been raised for a long time and has been on the agenda of the relevant authorities for some time. Whenever the necessary consensus and preliminary processes are in place, we will inform you in this regard.' Bahram Qasemi also referred to reports from some media about the connection between the visit of the European Union's economic delegation and the establishment of this office in Tehran, adding that what was raised in some media in this regard was incorrect and there is no connection between this delegation's visit and the establishment of this office in Iran. He pointed out that 'the European Union has requested us to establish an office in Iran for some time, and as I have said many times, this issue is on the agenda, and whenever the necessary consensus is reached and the preliminary processes are in place, we will inform you in this regard.'