Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, punctuated by “Israel’s” September 9, 2025 aggression on Qatar, Iran turned toward Saudi Arabia in search of defense cooperation, raising fundamental questions about whether the two sides could move closer.

Days after Iranian officials rejected calls to dissolve the PMF, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, arrived in Baghdad on August 11, 2025, for a three-day visit to sign a joint security memorandum.

Lebanon is working to reshape its relationship with Iran on a state-to-state basis, distancing it from the influence of Hezbollah, the Tehran-backed group that Beirut has set a plan to disarm, ending the era of unchecked weapons in the country.

Iran’s increased diplomatic presence in Lebanon, marked by Ali Larijani’s visit, aims to bolster Hezbollah and oppose U.S. ceasefire proposals amid rising tensions with “Israel.”