Zarif in Beirut

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has traveled to Lebanon to take stock of the latest developments following the recent deadly explosion in Beirut and discuss Iran’s relief aid to the disaster-hit nation.
Zarif arrived in the capital Beirut on Thursday evening. He was to meet with senior Lebanese officials, ISNA reported.
The diplomat had visited the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran recently, signing a memorial honoring the victims of the massive blast that was reportedly caused by the explosion of some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at the Beirut port.
The incident, which destroyed the country’s main grain silo, has so far killed at least 200 people and injured thousands others.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society Spokesman Mohammad Nasiri announced a day after the blast that 2,000 food packages, weighing 9 tons, had been prepared for dispatch to Lebanon along with medicine and medical equipment.
The IRCS has also set up a makeshift hospital in Beirut, as the city’s hospitals have been overwhelmed in the wake of the calamity.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron talked with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, on the phone, inviting Tehran to join in collective efforts aimed at overcoming Lebanon’s challenges, including the country’s political crisis.
The Beirut explosion has sparked rallies across the country, with the public accusing the ruling elite of corruption and mismanagement, including their negligence in port operations.
The widespread public outrage has prompted the entire Lebanese Cabinet to step down.