Five Iranian pilgrims were killed and at least 57 injured when a bus carrying people traveling to the Arbaeen ceremony collided with a minibus on the Najaf–Basra road in Iraq, the Iranian Red Crescent said on Wednesday.
Joseph Aoun criticized certain remarks by Islamic Republic officials and stressed that no group has the right to bear arms or seek foreign support, according to Al Arabiya.
Larijani responded by affirming the Islamic Republic’s support for the decisions of Lebanon’s government.
Saudi website Al Hadath quoted Larijani as telling Aoun that Iran does not interfere in the country’s affairs, while Al Sharq website cited him pledging to strengthen ties with the Lebanese state on all levels.
"Any decision taken by the Lebanese government in consultation with the resistance is respected by us," he said after separate talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, whose Amal movement is an ally of Hezbollah.
He said Lebanon should not "mix its enemies with its friends. Your enemy is Israel, your friend is the resistance. I recommend to Lebanon to always appreciate the value of resistance."
By "resistance", Larijani was referring to the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah, which grew into a so-called state-within-a-state force better armed than the Lebanese army and has repeatedly fought Israel over the decades.
"Iran didn't bring any plan to Lebanon, the US did. Those intervening in Lebanese affairs are those dictating plans and deadlines," said Larijani.
The US submitted a plan through President Donald Trump's envoy to the region, Tom Barrack, setting out the most detailed steps yet for disarming Hezbollah, which has rejected mounting calls to disarm since its devastating war with Israel last year.
During his meeting with the president, Larijani also spoke of deep historical and cultural links, Iran’s Guards-linked Tasnim reported.
“If one day the people of Lebanon are in distress, we in Iran will also feel that pain. We will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” Tasnim quoted Larijani as saying.
In the same meeting, Larijani said he had renewed his invitation for Aoun to visit Tehran and emphasized Iran’s readiness to help Lebanon in the field of reconstruction, Iranian local media reported.
Messages for Hezbollah and parliament backing
The visit came with messages urging Hezbollah to align with the Lebanese government’s positions, the news site This is Lebanon reported, linking the trip to wider regional arrangements.
According to the outlet, the messages were part of political maneuvers that could be used as bargaining tools, including demands for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the launch of reconstruction in war-damaged areas. It said the aim was to secure the “Hezbollah card” for potential negotiations with the United States.
Founded in 1982 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hezbollah has long been Israel’s principal military adversary in Lebanon. Fighting late last year left the group weakened.
The Lebanese cabinet last week ordered the army to disarm Hezbollah, prompting sharp criticism from Tehran.
Ali-Akbar Velayati, senior foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called the disarmament “a dream that won’t come true,” describing it as a policy dictated by Israel and Washington.
Lebanon’s foreign ministry condemned the comments on X as “a flagrant and unacceptable interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”
Larijani’s stop in Iraq
Before arriving in Beirut, Larijani traveled to Baghdad, where he signed a security memorandum with the government. According to information obtained by Iran International, one goal was to encourage Shi’ite factions to push for parliamentary approval of a Popular Mobilization Forces bill.
The PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella organization of Shi’ite militias formed under the direct supervision of Qasem Soleimani, the late commander of the IRGC Quds Force.
On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met Larijani and, according to Arab media, expressed support for US-Iran dialogue.
Iraqi sources told Iran International the tour reflected Tehran’s concern over Baghdad yielding to US pressure on the PMF.
“This is the first time emergency teams have entered Iraqi territory, and despite the special conditions and distance, they were able to transfer the injured swiftly and in full coordination to treatment centers in Iran,” Abolfazl Mahrokh, spokesman for Iran’s emergency services, said on Wednesday.
Ten operational teams were dispatched to the crash site, the Red Crescent’s Khuzestan branch said. Most of the injured were from southern Khuzestan province and heading to Iraq’s religious cities.
Iranian media earlier cited driver error and the bus striking a roadside barrier as the cause.
The Arbaeen ceremony marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after Ashura, commemorating the death of Imam Hussain ibn Ali.
Each year, millions of Shia Muslims travel to Karbala and other holy sites, many walking hundreds of kilometers.
125 people had died in road accidents in five border provinces between July 26 and August 12 during Arbaeen-related travel, Ahmad Karami-Asad, head of Iran’s traffic police, said.
With the latest incident, the death toll rose to 130, with nearly 3,000 injured.
State resources heavily committed to pilgrimage
The National Road Transport Organization urged the public to avoid booking domestic bus travel from Wednesday to Friday, intercity fleets being redirected for returning pilgrims.
“All national capacities had been mobilized to serve Arbaeen pilgrims,” Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said on August 4.
The annual event receives significant budget allocations. In July, the Red Crescent said it had collected over 31 metric tons of medicines and medical supplies worth 2.7 million dollars for pilgrims, while a government official under late President Ebrahim Raisi had earlier said roughly 130 million dollars had been spent on infrastructure over 33 months.
Since 2010, when official records first showed 40,000 participants, the number of Iranian pilgrims has grown to the millions, driven by active government promotion, public funding, and free services along the pilgrimage routes.
