Lebanese citizens will now be charged €20 for entering Iran, with a €10 euro deduction if the visit is religious in nature.

TEHRAN, MAY 5: Tehran introduced a new visa procedure on Sunday for Lebanese citizens seeking to enter Iran in response to Beirut’s decision to cancel a bilateral agreement that once allowed eased border procedures, the Iranian embassy to Lebanon confirmed.

Lebanon canceled the agreement as part of a broader effort to control borders and “prevent any activity that could undermine security or use Lebanese territory to carry out special objectives,” the Lebanese cabinet confirmed after the decision in March.

“The competent authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran have taken the necessary arrangements to ensure the comfort of Lebanese citizens, such that religious and tourist visit visas are issued immediately at all Iranian airports,” the Islamic regime promised. “This visa fee amounts to 20 euros for Lebanese nationals heading to Iran as a tourist destination, and 10 euros for those wishing to travel there to perform religious visits. These arrangements have also been generalized to all relevant official authorities, in addition to the airlines operating flights to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Tourism in Islamic Republic increasing despite conflict
While it is hard to pinpoint the exact number of Lebanese travelers entering Iran annually, tourism in the Islamic Republic has seemingly increased over the past few years despite regional conflict. State media reported the regime received 7.3 million visitors last year.

The plan to charge Lebanese citizens comes a week after the Iranian rial hit a record low of 1.8 million to $1, creating further strain on an already battered economy.

The shift in policy also comes after Tehran refused to withdraw its ambassador despite Beirut naming him persona non grata. Lebanon has also made a number of promises to limit the powers of Iran’s Hezbollah proxy, including legislating that only state actors can hold arms and condemning the renewed conflict the Shia terror group dragged the country into after the Israeli assassination of former regime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.