President Hassan Rouhani's special envoy reaffirmed Iran's readiness to provide the Lebanese army with a military grant, Fars news agency reported on Friday citing the news website Albawaba.
"Iran is ready to offer a military grant to Lebanon, in case the country is eager to accept it," said First Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi, who headed a delegation to Beirut on Wednesday for talks on bilateral relations with senior Lebanese officials.
In a meeting with Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, which was also attended by Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali, Sarmadi stressed Iran's decision to provide support to the Arab country in an effort to help it deal with possible Israeli assaults as well as terrorist attacks.
Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani had announced last September that Iran was ready to give a military grant to the Lebanese army. However, Beirut has not yet decided whether to accept the offer as various Lebanese groups have expressed opposing views in this regard.
In the meeting, Sarmadi exchanged views with the top Lebanese diplomat on expansion of bilateral ties, the situation in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen due to the Saudi military aggression.
In a separate meeting with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the two sides reviewed the ongoing events in the region, including Iran's nuclear negotiations and the results that have been achieved, as well as the latest developments in the region, particularly the situation in Yemen.
The trip to Lebanon was the forth leg of Sarmadi's regional tour, which also took him to Iraq, Algeria, and Oman. The tour had been said to be aimed at voicing concern over the Saudi intervention in Yemen.
Sarmadi also met Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Slam during his visit to Lebanon.
