Iran's Foreign Minister Urges Lebanon to Confront Israel, Rejects Claims of Iranian Occupation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to "save" Lebanon from its "real enemy," Israel, following Aoun's appeal for Tehran to stop "interfering" in Lebanese affairs.

Posting on the platform X, Araqchi stated, "Based on Mr. Aoun’s statements, one might think Iran has occupied a fifth of Lebanon, displaced a quarter of its population, and bombs the country daily. If Lebanon were a bargaining chip for Iran, we would have reached an agreement long ago. Save Lebanon from your real enemy, Mr. President."

President Aoun had urged Iran in an interview aired by the American network CNN on Friday to cease its "interference" in Lebanon, following the failure of a new truce announced by Washington between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Aoun said, "This is not your country, it is ours, our duty, and your work is not to interfere in our country," adding, "Our people are the ones being killed, and our homes are the ones being destroyed."

Since the start of direct negotiations with Israel—marking the first of their kind in decades between the two countries with no diplomatic relations—President Aoun has faced opposition from Hezbollah and segments of the Lebanese population.

Additionally, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged Iran to stop using Lebanon as a "bargaining chip to improve" its terms in negotiations with the United States.

Tehran demands that any agreement with Washington to end the war, which began on February 28 with an Israeli-American bombing campaign, includes a ceasefire on the Lebanese front and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.