By Al-Fassel | 2025-03-03

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun delivered a clear message to a high-level delegation from the Islamic Republic on February 23, saying his war-weary nation would no longer serve as a theater for the ambitions of external powers.

"Lebanon has grown tired of the wars of others on its land," Aoun told the delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, during a meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, his office said.

The former army chief was firm in "putting the dots on the letters" regarding Lebanon's sovereignty, sources told Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.

Aoun reportedly cited Article 9 of the Islamic Republic's constitution to the delegation, whose members included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deputy commander Ali Fadavi.

"Freedom, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the country are indivisible," he said, using verbiage from the Islamic Republic's own constitution to challenge its interference in Lebanon, Nidaa al-Watan reported.

"No individual, group or authority has the right, under the pretext of exercising freedom, to harm the country's political, cultural, economic or military independence."

"The era of Lebanon as a battleground is over," Aoun told the delegation. "There is now a president and a state responsible for its borders, ports and airport."

Aoun was firm in asserting that the Lebanese people alone determine their country's policy and that other nations must respect its sovereignty and refrain from interfering in its affairs, according to Nidaa al-Watan.

"The presidency restored the state's sovereignty!" Lebanese media outlet Huna Lubnan declared. "A patriotic, sovereign stance heard by the Iranian delegation in Baabda unlike any before."

Reclaiming sovereignty

The visit followed a series of actions by the Iranian regime that had encroached on Lebanese affairs, including attempts to dictate foreign policy and violations of sovereignty, sources told Nidaa al-Watan.

Aoun chose to wait for the delegation's visit to deliver his message directly, the outlet said, with many Lebanese taking to social media to share their support.

In a post on X, Lebanese political analyst and journalist Paula Astih described the president's stance as signaling a "new Lebanon."

"This reorients Lebanon's political compass toward internal unity and neutrality from foreign interventions," wrote X user Nancy Barakat.

She described Aoun's words as "a crucial step toward restoring the state's prestige and sovereign decision-making without external pressure."

"The president's words represent an honorable discourse, breaking from previous rhetoric that was more influenced by regional interests than Lebanese national interests," said X user Fadi Hajj.

"They honor sovereign Lebanese who reject Iranian hegemony and give hope for a Lebanon of institutions and a strong state," Ziad Al Masri said on X.