Author name:
احمد طعمة جعفر الموسوي
Supervisor name:
جميل موسى النجار
Abstract:
The study of the Iranian - Lebanese relations is considered an important topic, because Lebanon for the Iranian government is one of the most essential countries in the Middle East. Hence, good relations between these two countries through different periods of times cannot be ignored especially during the era of the Safavid state which invited Shiite scholars from Jabal Amel to support and strengthen state in Iran. The most prominent of these scholars were Sheikh Ali bin Abdul Aali al - Ameli, who died in 1533, known as the “Al - Karaki the editor”, and Sheikh Hussain bin Abdul - Samad al - Amali, who died in 1576. The children of these scholars are still living in Iran, and thus the roots of the religious relations between the two countries became a reason for the development of political, economic and cultural relations in later periods.Yet, the first action in the political relations between the two countries dates back to the period of the Lebanese President Camille Chamoun (1952/1958), who is considered the first Lebanese friend to Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza, and who is credited for setting up political relations with Iran through his government's first treaty of friendship and cooperation between the two states in 17 October 1953. After that, the relations evolved to change the title of the Iranian Commission operating in Beirut to the rank of embassy and Rahmat Atabaki became “Ambassador of Iran” instead of “Minister Plenipotentiary”, while Lebanese President Camille Chamoun paid an official visit to Iran on 17 October 1956 for the purpose of rapprochement between the two countries, especially in the issue of Baghdad Pact. These relations were reinforced by joining the American policy through the accession of Iran and Lebanon to the Eisenhower project in March 1957, until President Chamoun ordered on March 5, 1957 to upgrade the Lebanese Commission working in Iran to Embassy, for the purpose of rapprochement with Iran due to the fear of the policy of President Abdel Nasser, the enemy of the Shah’s regime at that time, as President Chamoun was reluctant to the influence of Nasser in Lebanon. As a result of Chamoun’s pro - Iranian and pro - Western policy, an internal pro - Nasser opposition emerged in Lebanon in 1958 to topple Chamoun’s government, and this let to the outbreak of the 1958 uprising which was almost able to reach its goal but the interference of the Marines plus the military and financial support provided by the Shah of Iran to Chamoun’s prevented realizing this goal, and the crises ended up by electing Major General Fuad Shehab as President of "Lebanon in 1958" as successor to President Camille Chamoun.As president Shehab became in office, the Iranian - Lebanese relations cooled due the new Lebanese government's inclination towards Egyptian policy against Iran and its allies, and because of the positions of Iranian Ambassador Ali Fattouhi in Lebanon and his statements against President Gamal Abdel Nasser which led to expelling the Iranian ambassador in Beirut by the Lebanese government, and hence Lebanon broke its relations with Iran in January 1966 for 16 month until April 1967.After the re - establishment of relations, another development took place in the course of the Iranian - Lebanese relations, and this time relating to the arrest of the former head of the Iranian Savak, General Timur Bakhtiar, whose return to Iran was demanded by Tehran government because of judicial files against him. However, the Lebanese judiciary refused to send him back to Iran, and was released from Lebanese prisons after the end of the sentence. The Iranian government announced the breaking of its relations with Lebanon on April 1, 1969, which lasted until July 16, 1971.After the re - establishment of relations, Iran exploited the sectarian religious factor in Lebanon by supporting some charitable projects for the Shiite community in Lebanon, but this work did not last long until the dispute with the presidency of the Supreme Shiite Council in Lebanon, specifically with Imam Musa al - Sadr arouse due to the presence of Mustafa Jimaran (the head of the Iranian opposition) in South Lebanon which made the Iranian government neglect the affairs of the Shiite community in Lebanon, and instead it consolidated its relations with the Christian community especially with the The Lebanese Phalanges Party (Al - Kataeb) led by Pierre Gemayel and The National Liberal Party (Ḥizb Al - Waṭaniyyīn Al - Aḥrār) led by Camille Chamoun. When the Lebanese civil war broke out the Iranian government sided with the Christian factions while the Iranian people and its religious establishments supported the Muslims through offering humanitarian aid to those affected by the civil war.Economic relations were an important aspect of the relations between the two countries. For that reason, the Iranian government held an economic treaty with Lebanon on 5 July 1956, and thus trade between the two countries increased. As for touristic relations, these were also present in the course of relations between the two countries, where a tourism treaty was signed on December 9, 1973, which led to the prosperity of the economic life of Lebanon as Lebanon depends on tourism in support of its economic budgets. In the field of cultural relations, Iran supported the cultural aspect because it viewed Lebanon as the heart of the Arab world of the cultural domain, which accelerated in the conclusion of a cultural treaty on October 17, 1956. These were the relations between the two countries at all levels during 1953 - 1979
