Earlier on October 1, Lebanon’s an-Nahar newspaper had claimed that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in his recent visit to Lebanon has suggested that Tehran plays a role in the Lebanese presidential elections by convincing the Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, to withdraw from its conditions; a claim which was repeated in an al-Mustaqbal newspaper article a couple of days later.
In a statement cited by al-Manar news website, Iran’s embassy in Beirut announced that the comments attributed to Mr. Zarif are "false and incorrect."
The embassy deplored "the unprofessional approach" of the two newspapers, and stressed that the Iranian foreign minister has just voiced Tehran’s respect for the political process in Lebanon.
Iran once again emphasizes the necessity for non-interventionist policies on other countries' internal affairs, the statement noted, adding that the Lebanese presidential elections is a domestic one.
The election should be made according to the Lebanese nation’s will, and Iran does not and will not encourage its allies to take any particular stance in this regard, the statement added.