TEHRAN — Mojtaba Amani, the former head of Iran's interest section in Egypt, was appointed as Tehran's new ambassador to Lebanon on Saturday, replacing Seyyed Mohammad Jalal Firouznia who has been in charge of the Iranian embassy in Beirut since August 2017.

Amani spent 9 years of his diplomatic career in Egypt. Prior to beginning his mission in Egypt, he served as the Deputy Director-General of the Office of Political and International Research Center at the Foreign Ministry.

The new envoy met on Saturday with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the eve of his departure to Beirut. 

In the meeting, Amir Abdollahian pointed to the importance of cooperation between Iran and Lebanon and insisted on the need to pay attention to strategic ties between the two countries. 

Explaining his plans in Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani called cooperation with the Lebanese government and all different political groups in the country one of his most important plans.

The foreign minister and the new ambassador also emphasized the status of Lebanon as a pioneer in resisting the Israeli regime’s aggressions.