Nawaf Salam’s government has filed a formal complaint to the United Nations accusing Iran of violating Lebanese sovereignty and dragging the country into war. [Getty]
Lebanon has submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations, accusing Iran of violating the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in an unprecedented escalation in relations between the two countries.
According to the complaint, Lebanon accused Iran of violating international norms and dragging the country into destructive wars against the will of its constitutional institutions, allowing Beirut to seek international accountability for Tehran’s repeated breaches of its obligations.
Lebanon also requested that the complaint be circulated as an official document of both the UN General Assembly under agenda item 84 and the UN Security Council.
The Lebanese complaint accused “Iranian state institutions, including the Revolutionary Guard” of carrying out “unlawful acts in defiance” of Lebanese government decisions, saying Iran had drawn Lebanon into a devastating war since 2 March.
It said the conflict had resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of Lebanese citizens, the displacement of more than one million people, widespread destruction across villages and towns, and the occupation of parts of Lebanese territory by Israel.
On 21 April, Lebanon’s foreign ministry sent identical letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council challenging Iranian accounts surrounding the killing of four Iranian diplomats during an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Ramada Hotel on 8 March.
The contents of the complaint were leaked to the media on Wednesday through an article by Denise Rahme Fakhry, an adviser to Lebanon’s foreign minister. However, the foreign ministry has not officially announced it.
The complaint disputed Iran’s account of the diplomats’ deaths, denying that the Iranian embassy had coordinated with Lebanese authorities regarding their transfer to the Ramada Hotel.
It also claimed that “some of those killed were not officially registered as diplomats”, describing this as a violation of the Vienna Convention.
Lebanon further raised “very dangerous” issues, including media reports suggesting the Iranian diplomats killed in Lebanon were in fact members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The complaint also referred to IRGC statements announcing joint operations with Hezbollah launched from Lebanese territory, describing the actions as “direct and explicit interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs” and involving the country in “a war it did not choose”.
Lebanon additionally accused Iran’s appointed ambassador, Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani, of violating diplomatic norms.
The complaint said Sheibani had not yet submitted copies of his credentials to the Lebanese foreign ministry and had made statements amounting to “blatant interference” in Lebanon’s sovereign affairs.
It also criticised his refusal to comply with a Lebanese request to leave the country, describing it as a direct challenge to the Lebanese government and another violation of the Vienna Convention.
The publication of the complaint comes ahead of a new round of Lebanese-Israeli talks due to begin in Washington, where Lebanon is expected to insist on a full and comprehensive ceasefire.
Lebanese officials have repeatedly stressed the need to separate negotiations with Israel from ongoing US-Iran talks, while also hoping any broader agreement could eventually include Lebanon.
In recent months, Lebanese authorities have taken unprecedented measures against Iran, including withdrawing recognition of Sheibani as ambassador in March and requesting that he leave Lebanon. He reportedly refused to depart.
The measures have deepened divisions among Lebanese political leaders, particularly between Hezbollah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on one side, and President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on the other.
Despite the tensions, Berri’s communication channels with Tehran remain open. Last week, he said Iran’s foreign minister had assured him that Lebanon would be included in any agreement with Washington aimed at securing a ceasefire.