Rubio says Lebanon will be handled separately from Iran in talks with Beirut

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Lebanon should be treated as a separate issue from Iran because Lebanon is a sovereign country with its own government. He said the United States will negotiate and deal with the matter directly with the Lebanese government.

Rubio stressed that Lebanon's future belongs to the Lebanese people, through their sovereign and elected government. The remarks frame Washington's approach as one centered on Beirut's official institutions rather than on Iran.

The statement did not specify any new policy steps or timeline, but it made clear that the U.S. intends to address Lebanon through its government, not as part of a broader Iran file.