BEIRUT: Lifting economic sanctions on Iran would embolden it to intervene in the affairs of Middle Eastern states and lead to more sectarian tensions and extremism, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said.
“We support and encourage any initiative that aims at saving the Middle East from the danger of nuclear and chemical weapons,” Machnouk said in a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C., according to remarks issued Thursday.
“But what concerns us in Lebanon and the Arab world is not the existential threat posed by a nuclear Iran; the concern is that Iran continues its current behavior even after reaching an agreement,” added the minister, who is on an official visit to the U.S.
Machnouk, who criticized the Islamic Republic for using extremism to confront extremism, said easing economic pressure on Iran would harm the surrounding countries.
“We are concerned that lifting the sanctions would spare more money and resources for the Iranian government to increase its interventions and influence in the region, and contribute to escalating sectarian tension and extremism,” he said. “Iran considers Lebanon today part of its area of influence, and its policies in Lebanon shake stability and fragment our country,” the Future Movement minister said.
Iran is the main sponsor of Hezbollah, which enjoys high popularity in certain parts of Lebanon, but is fiercely opposed by the Future Movement and its allies.
“The worrying news from Yemen today remind of Iran’s real intentions,” he said, referring to the Houthi advances across the country. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have overrun large parts of the country.
Saudi Arabia and allied forces Thursday began airstrikes on Yemen to halt Houthi advances. The kingdom was reportedly contributing 100 warplanes to the operation – dubbed “Storm of Resolve” – and more than 85 more were provided by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
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