Berri says Lebanon deal aims to damage Iran-US talks

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has warned that the recent agreement involving Lebanon is worse than the ill-fated May 17, 1983 agreement with Israel and represents a dangerous departure from previous understandings. In an interview with El-Akhbar newspaper, Berri said the accord damages the core of Lebanon's national balance and could ignite sedition.

Berri recounted a phone call with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, during which Salam thanked him for calming people and pulling them off the streets. Berri responded by urging Salam to exit the agreement. The speaker warned that the gravest danger lies in any attempt to weaken the Lebanese army or its commander. "If they want to harm the army or its commander, we will never remain silent," he said.

Berri noted that Hezbollah is also working to keep the domestic situation calm. He said the deal is in fact designed to weaken the Iran-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding and could push the region and the Islamabad process into a difficult and prolonged phase. He pointed to internal U.S. rivalry between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance as a factor that may extend the instability, with the region paying the cost of Washington's internal tensions and strained U.S.-Israeli relations.

According to Mehr News, Berri's comments highlight concerns over the agreement's broader implications for regional stability and Iran-U.S. relations.