Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council traveled to Lebanon to encourage Hezbollah to rebuild itself. He also sought to urge unity against Israel at a time when most countries in the region want the Gaza war to end and are willing to work toward making a US peace initiative possible.
As such, Iran is getting the cold shoulder to some extent. However, it wants to make it clear that its regime won’t go quietly and that, despite new US sanctions and snapback sanctions from European countries, Iran is still here.
Hezbollah is one file that Larijani is pushing. Another is the issue of letting international inspectors into Iran regarding the nuclear program.
Larijani told PBS that Iran won’t let inspectors come if sanctions are reimposed. “Whether inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will be able to access certain nuclear sites has been in limbo since the US-Israeli bombing campaign in June. And a 30-day countdown for reimposing sanctions on the country that had been frozen since 2015 is set to expire this weekend,” the report said.
On September 27, during his visit to Lebanon, he also urged unity against Israel. He was in Lebanon to commemorate the anniversary of the deaths of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his successor. The goal of the Larijani visit was to rebuild Hezbollah slowly while still adhering to a ceasefire that ended the conflict with Israel and Hezbollah in November.
That ceasefire was ostensibly with Lebanon. Lebanon’s government is trying to disarm Hezbollah, but has not actually done much so far. Larijani wants Hezbollah to bide its time. He wants to slowly rebuild Iran’s reputation.
Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding itself, Larijani says in warning to Israel and US
The pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar reported on October 2 that Larijani had warned America that “assassinations did not destroy Tehran or Hezbollah.” The warning is apparently for Israel as well. Israel eliminated Nasrallah and also key Iranian commanders between 2024 and 2025. “
Ali Larijani confirmed that Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding itself, while emphasizing that the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and leaders has not destroyed the resistance or the country’s scientific capabilities,” Al-Akhbar noted.
The Iranian “confirmed that Hezbollah is rapidly rebuilding itself, while emphasizing that the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and leaders has not destroyed the resistance or the country’s scientific capabilities.” He gave a television interview, which appears part of his larger public relations campaign in the region and in Western media. He said that “recent assassinations, including those of nuclear leaders and scientists, have not destroyed Iran’s scientific and technological capabilities.”
Responding to the US president regarding Washington’s aggression against the country’s nuclear facilities, he emphasized that “Iran has trained a large number of scientists, and its nuclear technology will not be destroyed, and Trump must realize this.”
He continued to threaten the US. He also “noted that he had been briefed on Hezbollah’s situation, stressing that during his visit, he witnessed Hezbollah rapidly rebuilding itself and continuing its resistance.” The report said he had added, “It cannot be denied that Hezbollah has suffered a blow with the assassination of its leaders and martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, but this resistance will not only not be destroyed, but its capabilities will be enhanced thanks to its ideology and its struggle.”
Iran wants to slowly rebuild Hezbollah. It says it is investing in the group and not individuals. This means that Nasrallah’s passing won’t mean that Iran can’t back Hezbollah. Instead, new Nasrallahs will arise. This may be easier said than done because Nasrallah led Hezbollah for decades.