'Lebanon is not your country': Joseph Aoun accuses Iran of using Lebanon as a 'bargaining chip'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun escalated his criticism of Iran on Friday, saying in a CNN interview that Tehran was using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in its talks with Washington.

Aoun told Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, “It is not your country, it is our country,” and said Lebanese civilians were paying the price for outside interests.

He also said Beirut was ready to pursue diplomacy, including direct negotiations with Israel, as part of efforts to halt the fighting that has engulfed Lebanon’s south and the border with Israel.

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Lebanon and Israel ceasefire talks

Aoun’s remarks came as Lebanon and Israel were already engaged in fragile ceasefire discussions.

The two sides had agreed on Wednesday to renew a truce framework that included “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon and a requirement for a complete halt to Hezbollah fire and the removal of Hezbollah operatives from areas south of the Litani River.

In that context, Aoun said, “We are ready, willing and committed to negotiate,” adding that Lebanon had reached a point where more war would only deepen the destruction.

Tehran is not amused, it seems

Tehran responded swiftly. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi rejected Aoun’s accusation in a post on X, saying the Lebanese president’s remarks made it sound as though Iran were occupying parts of Lebanon or bombing the country daily.

Araqchi wrote that if Lebanon were truly a bargaining chip in Iran’s hands, an agreement would already have been reached, and ended his message with the warning: “Save Lebanon from your real enemy, Mr President.”

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Wider divisions over a ceasefire deal

The dispute underscores the wider political split around any ceasefire deal.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has rejected the draft arrangement as “surrender,” while Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, has said he would support Hezbollah’s withdrawal from south of the Litani River if Israeli forces also pull back.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, have continued to argue that any lasting arrangement must lead to Hezbollah’s demilitarisation and stronger Lebanese state control in the south.