Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi made the remark on Saturday in reaction to the resignation of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri who implicitly blamed Iran and Hezbollah for his decision, and accused the Islamic Republic of meddling in the country’s affairs, during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Saad Hariri has been in office for less than a year, but previously served as prime minister between 2009 and 2011.
Ghasemi went on to add, “the sudden resignation of Mr. Hariri and its announcement in another country is not only a matter of surprise and regret, but also an indication of his play on a field designed by region’s ill-wishers. The winner of this game is not Arab and Muslim states, but the Zionist regime which has defined its survival in creation of tension ‘in’ and ‘among’ Muslim countries in the region.”
“While we are approaching the end of ISIL and other terrorist groups in some of the regional countries, we must endeavor to de-escalate tension in order to compensate for the damage done by terrorists backed by US and its regional allies, and help with the reconstruction of the countries affected from years of war and destruction,” Ghasemi said.
The foreign ministry spokesman dismissed Hariri’s critique of Iran’s regional role, adding “the repeat of baseless accusations already made by Zionists, Saudis and Americans against Iran by Lebanon’s resigned prime minister is a testament to the fact that the resignation, too, is a new scenario for creating tension in Lebanon and the region.”
We believe that the strong nation of Lebanon will easily overcome this stage as well, he added.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always called for the perseverance of peace and stability in the countries of the region and has defined its interests in the security, stability and economic prosperity of all the neighboring and regional countries,” Ghasemi said. “To this end, Iran has prioritized as its regional policy the fight against insecurity, instability, extremism and terrorism aimed at achieving peace for all countries.”
Ghasemi further noted the excellent relations between Iran and Lebanon, adding “just as the President of Lebanon has stressed in his recent remarks the good political ties between the two countries and has rejected any allegations on Iran's involvement in Lebanon, the Islamic Republic, too, has always respected the independence and stability of the country and is ready to cooperate with the Lebanese government in all the areas of mutual interest.”
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