France's Macron Reminds Iran No "External Interference" In Lebanon

The Elysee Palace has released a statement regarding a phone call held today between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.

• Most interesting point comes on the description of the talks between the two on Lebanon: "He [Macron] also recalled the need, for all the powers concerned, to avoid any escalation of tensions, as well as any external interference and to support the establishment of a mission government in charge of managing the emergency, implement the necessary political and economic reforms, and meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people."
• Following last week's explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut and the subsequent resignation of the gov't, there has been significant focus on the precarious political situation in Lebanon. The country is without a permanent government, is in the midst of a financial crisis, has seen a substantial portion of its grain reserves destroyed in the explosion which also left hundreds of thousands homeless and a clean-up cost running into the billions of dollars.
• All this creates the perfect environment for political instability. Iran already has an outsized influence in Lebanese politics due to its links to Islamist militant group Hezbollah, and there are concerns in the West that the group, and therefore Iran, could use the current instability as an attempt to grab power.