The head of Lebanon's General Security has issued a six-month residence permit to Mohammad Reza Sheibani, the Iranian diplomat declared persona non grata by the Lebanese government in August 2026.
Mohammad Reza Sheibani, the former Iranian ambassador to Beirut, applied for a residence visa through the General Security directorate using a valid Iranian passport. General Security Director Brigadier Hassan Shaqir approved the six-month permit under decree 10188 of July 18, 1962, Article 21, without granting Sheibani any diplomatic status.
The diplomatic crisis peaked in August 2026 when the Lebanese government declared Sheibani persona non grata and withdrew its approval of his appointment as successor to previous Iranian envoy Mojtaba Amani.
Tensions between Lebanon and Iran escalated over Iranian positions on Lebanese state decisions regarding the monopoly of weapons by the state, and over official Iranian statements, including remarks by Iranian Majlis Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, which Lebanon viewed as violations of its sovereignty.
