ANKARA - Iran said on Monday that it does not interfere in Lebanon and that comments on Sunday by Saad al-Hariri, who resigned as Lebanese prime minister on Saudi TV nine days ago, gave hope he would soon return to his country, state TV reported.
"Hariri's remarks on Sunday gave small hope of the possibility of his return to Lebanon ... Iran does not interfere in Lebanon's affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by state TV.
In a television interview on Sunday, Hariri said he would return to his country within days and held out the possibility he could rescind his resignation if Iran-backed Hezbollah agreed to stay out of regional conflicts such as Yemen. The comments were his first in public since Saudi-allied Hariri resigned from Riyadh on Nov. 4.