The Sept. 1-2 visit to Beirut by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian was not a mere formality en route to Damascus. Rather, during it, he conveyed several messages to Lebanon, the region and the world. Abdollahian met with a number of Lebanese officials, including Prime Minister Tammam Salam, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil in addition to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. The Iranian deputy minister also met with Sigrid Kaag, the UN special coordinator in Lebanon, and Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria.
Sources close to some of the Lebanese officials who met with Abdollahian told Al-Monitor that he went out of his way to reassure them about the consistency of Iranian positions vis-a-vis regional issues in the wake of Tehran's nuclear deal with the six world powers. In discussing the domestic situation in Lebanon, he said the main concern is obviously the presidential vacuum and electing a new president amid fears of foreign, including UN, intervention. On Sept. 2, during Abdollahian's visit, the UN Security Council issued a statement calling on Lebanon to elect a president in the near future.