On Sunday, the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Najla Al-Mangoush received a telephone call from her Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Amirabdollahian congratulated Al-Mangoush on the holy month of Ramadan, and conveyed the greetings of the Iranian President, Ibrahim Raisi, to Prime Minister, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, according to a statement by the media office of the Libyan Foreign Ministry.
The two stressed the need to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields, especially the economic sector. They also tackled the necessary arrangements for the return of the Iranian Embassy to Tripoli, in the near future.
Earlier this month, the Libyan Foreign Ministry announced that efforts are underway to resume the work of the Iranian Embassy in Tripoli.
This came in a meeting between Al-Mangoush and Iran’s ambassador to Libya, Mohamed Reza to strengthen bilateral relations. They discussed the activation of the joint economic committee, and arrangements for the reopening of the Iranian Embassy.
The meeting tackled regional and international developments. Al-Mangoush noted that Libya welcomed the reestablishment of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, saying the agreement they reached last week will be “significant for the stability of the region.”
The Iranian Embassy in Tripoli closed its doors in wake of the February 2011 revolution, following remarks by former mufti Sadiq Al-Ghariani who accused Tehran of “spreading Shiism in Libya.”
In February 2015, the residence of the Iranian Ambassador was attacked by a car bomb. IS claimed responsibility for the attack, which did not leave significant damage.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Dbaiba to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.