Lebanese Diplomatic Escalation: Withdrawal of Approval for Iranian Ambassador and Recall of Lebanese Ambassador from Tehran

The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants summoned the Iranian chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, Tawfiq Samadi Khoshkou. He was received by Secretary-General Ambassador Abdel Sattar Issa, who conveyed the Lebanese state’s decision to withdraw its approval for the appointment of the designated Iranian ambassador, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, and to declare him persona non grata, requesting that he leave Lebanese territory no later than Sunday, March 29, 2026.

In the same context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recalled Lebanon’s ambassador to Iran, Ahmad Sweidan, for consultations, following what the Lebanese state described as a violation by Tehran of established diplomatic norms and protocols between the two countries.”