Ambassador: Iran ready to render unconditional help to Lebanese army

Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi said Tehran is ready to help equip the Lebanese army without any conditions. Making the remark in a meeting with Lebanon defense minister, he said the military equipment will be granted to Lebanon upon the request of the Lebanese president. For his part, the Lebanese minister appreciated Iran's military help, adding: “We are proud of this support.” He further declared his readiness to visit Iran based on an invitation extended to him by his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi. In the meeting, the two officials also held talks on promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of defense. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov at the recent session of the UN General Assembly in New York repeated their pledges of equipping the Lebanese army. However, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati in his first formal speech after returning home from New York re-asked the Islamic Republic of Iran to help the country equip its army.