Iranian politicians from across the spectrum have praised the election of a new president in Lebanon. The Lebanese parliament elected Michel Aoun Oct. 31, ending a more than two-year presidential vacuum in the country.

In Tehran, the move was warmly welcomed. President Hassan Rouhani called Aoun and congratulated him on the victory. “Iran is ready to expand diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with Lebanon,” Rouhani told Aoun over the phone.

Ali Akbar Velayati, the foreign policy adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dubbed Aoun’s victory as “the triumph of the Resistance Axis.” The Resistance Axis begins in Iran and continues to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. He told the Iranian state broadcaster, “Lebanon has a pivotal and strategic role in this axis. … If Lebanon becomes victorious in resistance — as has occurred previously — then those who fight the resistance movement will face defeat. With this victory, those who are plotting against the Resistance Axis in Iraq and Syria will face defeat as well.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif congratulated the people of Lebanon on his Twitter page. “Stability and progress assured when Lebanese themselves decide for Lebanon,” Zarif posted on Twitter.