Suleiman: Lebanese-Iranian relations on a tense path

Former Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Lebanese-Iranian relations appear to be on an escalating path of tension and decline, starting with Iranian statements about confronting Israel in four countries through its allies and regional proxies, passing through what is seen as the use of airports in neighboring countries to protect aviation linked to them, and culminating in the overstepping of diplomatic norms, especially the refusal to name a replacement ambassador for the Iranian ambassador whose positions and actions sparked Lebanese objections. Suleiman said this raises serious questions about the future of relations and the extent of respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and its right to manage its internal affairs and determine its national and diplomatic choices away from external interference, stressing that Lebanon does not seek to destroy relations with the Iranian people but wants peer relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.