The Renewal bloc conveyed a clear message to Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: “Stop the misguided policies and keep your hands off Lebanon.”

The bloc highlighted on Monday the ongoing violations against Lebanon’s sovereignty and its constitutional institutions. The recent one is Abdollahian’s visit to Beirut, as well as his statements, which confirmed that Iran treated Lebanon “not as an independent state but as a card to enhance its regional influence.”

“The Lebanese state exclusively has the constitutional authority to decide the nature of arrangements in the South in line with international legitimacy, not any party or faction,” said the bloc, addressing Abdollahian.

It condemned Iran’s policy that ties Lebanon’s security to Iran’s security, subjecting Lebanon to war, while keeping Iran safe, patiently negotiating with the United States at the expense of its proxies.

Furthermore, in commemoration of the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the Renewal bloc demanded “the handover of the perpetrators of the assassination crime to the International Tribunal.”

This demand comes in light of the lack of accountability in Lebanon. The bloc emphasized that punishing the perpetrators was a “way to seek justice and accountability, rejecting impunity, and preventing the continuation of the path of assassination and domination.” It also called for collaboration with all forces keen on these principles.

On another note, the bloc condemned the unprecedented chaos during the budget approval sessions, where voting did not occur transparently on many essential budget items. The budget was also published in a nontransparent manner, inaccurate in its texts.

It considered these sessions as “an insult to the parliament and the Lebanese people, who bear the consequences of this chaos and constitutional violations.”

Initially, it had participated in the budget approval session to prevent its passage by decree, as it was filled with violations and destructive provisions affecting Lebanese citizens, the legitimate private sector, public sector employees and institutions.

The bloc, which considers the publication of the budget as a “smuggling operation,” has therefore considered, along with opposition forces, the possibility of challenging this flawed budget before the Constitutional Council.