Lebanese officials have issued their most stinging public rebuke of Iran, accusing Tehran of using their country as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the United States. President Joseph Aoun, in an interview with CNN, declared that Iran had no right to interfere in Lebanon, saying: “This is not your country, it is ours. You have no business interfering in our affairs.” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, speaking at a UN humanitarian appeal in Beirut, implored Iran to “spare our south” and stop treating its people as “mere bargaining chips to improve the terms of your negotiations.” The remarks signal a sharp break from Beirut’s traditionally cautious posture towards Tehran and its powerful proxy, Hezbollah.

The Iranian response was swift and sarcastic. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to social media, tweeting: “Based on Mr Aoun’s comments, one would think it’s Iran that has occupied one-fifth of Lebanon, displaced one-quarter of Lebanese and is bombing his country on a daily basis.” He added, “Had Lebanon been a bargaining chip for Iran, we’d have a deal long ago.” Araghchi urged Aoun to “save Lebanon from your real foe,” a thinly veiled reference to Israel. Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused Aoun of selling out those who supported him and embracing those who put Lebanon “into trouble.”

The exchange unfolded against a backdrop of renewed violence. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that dominates southern Lebanon, launched attacks on Israel on 2 March to avenge the 28 February killing of Iran’s supreme leader. A fresh US-brokered truce was rejected by Hezbollah, and Israel has since conducted wide-scale strikes across the south. Lebanese state media reported more than 40 Israeli air raids on Friday, while Hezbollah claimed attacks on Israeli troops. The conflict has forced the UN to issue a new humanitarian appeal for Lebanon, requesting over $330 million.

The verbal duel lays bare a growing rift between Lebanon’s official institutions and Iran. By directly challenging Tehran, Aoun and Salam are reclaiming a measure of sovereignty that had long been ceded to foreign powers and militias. Tehran, however, insists that the fighting in Lebanon is inextricably linked to its own confrontation with Washington, and that any settlement must address the broader regional picture. Viewed from London, this rare public clash may embolden Western powers to push harder for disarming Hezbollah as part of any future diplomatic agreement, though the road remains perilous.