AiBotIn a recent statement, former US President Donald Trump has revealed that one of the primary reasons for excluding Lebanon from a potential deal between the US and Iran lies in the presence of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
During an interview with PBS, President Trump expressed his stance on the matter, stating, “Yeah, Lebanon is not included in the deal. Because of Hezbollah.” His comments come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to revive the nuclear deal between the US and Iran, which was initially signed in 2015 under the Obama administration but has been the subject of intense negotiation and disagreements between the two countries.
The US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, a move that sparked widespread criticism from both domestic and international circles, led to an escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran. The reimposition of severe economic sanctions by the US, however, appears to have pushed Iran to the negotiating table, paving the way for renewed diplomatic engagement.
Iran has long sought to have the sanctions lifted in exchange for concessions related to its nuclear program, a core component of the JCPOA. The current US administration, led by President Joe Biden, has expressed willingness to re-engage in talks with Iran to revive the nuclear deal, with a view to preventing the escalation of a conflict in the region.
However, President Trump’s assertion that the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon has led to the country’s exclusion from the deal has left many observers perplexed. Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist group with close ties to Iran, has historically been the dominant force in Lebanese politics. While it maintains significant influence in the country, the group is not a government entity.
Critics of President Trump’s statement have argued that the exclusion of Lebanon from the deal is unjustified, citing the country’s fragile economic situation and the devastating impact of the August 2020 Beirut port explosion, which further worsened Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis. Many have called on the Biden administration to reassess its stance on Lebanon, ensuring that the country benefits from renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran.
As the US-Iran talks continue, concerns about the exclusion of Lebanon from the deal are likely to remain a contentious issue, highlighting the complex web of regional dynamics at play in the Middle East.