Orbán government offered help to Iran after deadly Hezbollah attack — WP
Photo: Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (flickr.com)
Hungarian authorities offered assistance to Iran immediately after the operation against Hezbollah militants involving explosive-laden pagers in September 2024, according to The Washington Post.
According to the report, shortly after the deadly Israeli attack in September 2024, which caused thousands of Hezbollah pagers to explode, the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed readiness to provide Iran with intelligence and the results of its internal investigation.
Tehran is one of the key sponsors of the Lebanese group, which the United States considers a terrorist organization.
According to a transcript of a government phone call obtained by Western intelligence and reviewed by the publication, on September 30, 2024, Szijjártó told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi: “Our secret service has already contacted your services and we will share all the information we have gathered during the investigation.”
At the time, Hungary came under scrutiny after a Taiwanese company whose brand appeared on the devices told journalists they had been manufactured by a Hungarian firm under a licensing agreement.
According to the transcript, Szijjártó also said: “I just wanted to tell you personally that our services have already contacted yours.”
When Araghchi responded that he was “very grateful for you doing all this,” Szijjártó replied: “Absolutely, absolutely.”
“If you need any further information or you wish to contact me, then I am always at your service.”
Szijjártó stated that Budapest had no involvement in the September 17 attack in Lebanon, which killed 12 people and injured at least 2,800.
“These pagers are not produced in Hungary, they have never been to Hungary and no Hungarian company has never been related with these pagers physically,” he said.
As the report notes, the call and Hungary’s willingness to cooperate with Iran raise uncomfortable questions about Orbán’s government ties with Tehran amid tensions between the United States and Iran.
Moreover, this contradicts Budapest’s official policy of supporting Israel, including during votes at the UN Security Council, as well as its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court in April 2025 during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest.
The media outlet recalls that Netanyahu, like US President Donald Trump, has publicly supported Orbán.
What is known about the pager explosions
The explosions of pagers used by Hezbollah militants occurred in September 2024 and were part of an operation attributed to Israel.
According to Reuters, Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, was behind the series of explosions in Lebanon. The agency allegedly planted explosives in a batch of 5,000 devices ordered by Hezbollah from a Taiwanese manufacturer.
As a result, at least 12 people were killed, and more than 2,800 were injured.
Elections in Hungary and US support
Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for April 12. Ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is losing ground, trailing his main rival Péter Magyar.
Against this backdrop, Donald Trump is actively supporting Orbán, seeking to help him remain in power.
On March 25, Trump personally called on Hungarians to vote for Orbán in a post on Truth Social.
He described the Hungarian prime minister as a “true fighter and winner” and said he supports him “all the way.”
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Budapest on Tuesday, two weeks before the election. His program included talks with Orbán and a public speech.
