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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun lashed out at Iran on Friday, accusing Tehran of using his country as leverage in its confrontation with the United States and Israel while calling for an end to Iranian interference in Lebanese affairs.
In an interview at the presidential palace in Beirut, Aoun said Lebanese citizens are exhausted by years of conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group and political movement that has long held significant influence in the country. "They are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with the U.S," Aoun said. "It's unacceptable."
Addressing Tehran directly, Aoun argued that Iran's interests do not align with those of Lebanon and that ordinary Lebanese citizens have paid the price for regional power struggles. "You are not trying to help us … the people of Lebanon are paying the price … for the sake of your own interest," he said. "Our interests … do not coincide with your interests."
Aoun also criticized Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stressing that decisions affecting Lebanon should be made by Lebanese authorities. "It’s not your country, it’s our country," he said.
The criticism came after Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement on Wednesday to implement a ceasefire. The deal remains contingent on a complete halt to Hezbollah attacks and the withdrawal of Hezbollah operatives from southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah, which was not part of the negotiations, rejected the agreement, arguing that it does not guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Aoun described the negotiations as difficult but said a breakthrough eventually paved the way for the agreement. "It was a tough negotiation until we had a major breakthrough," he said, adding that the deal could provide a path toward a "just and lasting peace."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed Aoun's criticism on Friday, urging Iran to stop treating southern Lebanon as a bargaining chip in broader negotiations with Washington.
"If I may address a word to Iran, it is this: have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip to improve the terms of your negotiations," Salam told a press conference held in support of a U.N. aid appeal for Lebanon.
"The Lebanese people were surprised to find that Iran was the very first party to reject the ceasefire; this confirms that this war is not ours and it is not being fought for our sake—but rather on our land and at the expense of our people," he added.
Salam also outlined the government's relief efforts, saying a national assistance plan would provide cash support to 1 million displaced people and 50,000 residents who remain in southern Lebanon.
More than 3,500 people have been killed and over 10,000 injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.
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