In a televised interview with Sky News Arabia on Monday, May 26, 2025, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam firmly rejected any alignment with the Iranian model of governance, stressing the Lebanese state’s commitment to sovereignty and national unity over external ideological influences.
“What applies to the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot apply to the Republic of Lebanon,” Salam stated, directly distancing Beirut from Tehran’s political system. He emphasized that Lebanon’s path must reflect its own constitution, national unity, and democratic principles—not the ideological or religious frameworks imposed by foreign states.
Without naming Hezbollah directly, Salam addressed the ongoing controversy over non-state weapons in Lebanon, saying: “We cannot continue to coexist with a duality of weapons.” He reaffirmed the Lebanese state’s exclusive right to arms and security, declaring: “The weapon must be one—under the authority of the Lebanese state.”
#Iran News: Lebanese Leader Demands Disarmament of #Hezbollah, Blames Tehran for Undermining Lebanon’s Sovereigntyhttps://t.co/lOp8CUESyw
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 5, 2025
In response to questions about regional ties, Salam underlined Lebanon’s stance against foreign interference. “We do not accept tutelage from any country—be it Syria, Iran, or anyone else,” he said. He called for balanced relations with all regional actors, but made clear that Lebanon would not serve as a platform for advancing external agendas.
Salam’s remarks represent one of the clearest rejections to date of Iranian influence in Lebanese governance by a sitting Lebanese Prime Minister. His statements come amid ongoing regional tensions and renewed international scrutiny of Tehran’s role in Lebanon through its support for Hezbollah and other allied factions.
Lebanese authorities have increasingly intensified inspections of Iranian flights and shipments at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport since early 2025, aiming to prevent the transfer of funds and materials linked to Tehran and Hezbollah. These heightened security measures, including expanded military oversight and thorough cargo checks on flights arriving from Iran and Iraq, reflect Lebanon’s growing effort to reassert sovereignty and limit Iranian influence amid mounting internal and external pressures. Despite protests from Iranian officials and state media accusing these actions of being politically motivated, the inspections underscore a clear shift in Lebanon’s stance toward Tehran’s regional operations.