(Bloomberg) -- Iran denied interfering in Lebanese affairs after comments by a senior official sparked a political backlash in Beirut, in a rare rift between the two countries.
Iran has “never interfered” in the internal affairs of Lebanon or any other country, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference in Tehran.
His comments came after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf received a public rebuke from Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati last week for saying Tehran could negotiate with France on the implementation of a 2006 UN resolution that envisaged the withdrawal of the Hezbollah militant group from parts of southern Lebanon. Mikati described the comments as “blatant interference.”
Iran will speak with “any country” that has proposals for how to stop Israel’s military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, Baghaei said on Monday. Israel stepped up an offensive against Hezbollah last month, launching a series of air assaults and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Iran has backed Hezbollah with money and arms since its formation in the 1980s, helping to turn it into Tehran’s most formidable proxy militia in the region. Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organization by the US.
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