Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast slams the acting Lebanese premier Prime Minister Saad Hariri's anti Iran remarks, which he said only serves the interests of the US and Israel.
Addressing Hariri, Mehmanparast said that with a proper understanding of the lessons of the popular uprisings in the Arab countries of the Middle East, "[you] should consider the criteria for ruling people as respecting their dignity and independence, as well as avoiding dependence on the West, particularly the US and Israel."
"While stressing on its fixed policy of all-out interaction with all Lebanese tribes and a united Lebanon, which has been proven to all in the past and at present, the Islamic Republic of Iran insists on respecting the inalienable rights of the people," the Iranian official added.
"It goes without saying that Lebanon has not been and will not be an exception to this rule," Mehmanparast added.
Hariri accused Iran of "a flagrant interference" in the internal affairs of Lebanon and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.
Addressing a Lebanese-Saudi economic forum in Beirut, Hariri vowed not to let Lebanon become an Iranian protectorate, saying Tehran's policy in the region was no longer acceptable. Hariri's speech drew a swift response from Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah which accused Hariri of serving the US policy in the region.