Lebanon's talks with Israel ‘independent’ of US-Iran deal, president says Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that his country's negotiations with Israel in Washington were independent of the US-Iran deal. "The assurances we have received, and what we insist on, is that Lebanon's path in the negotiations is independent, though we are certainly for a ceasefire and for any country that helps us, including Iran," Aoun said, according to a statement from his office. But he added that "interference in Lebanese affairs is not permitted".   "The Lebanese state is sovereign in its decision-making, and for the first time, it is the one conducting the negotiations, and nobody is negotiating for us." Lebanon and Israel have been holding direct talks in Washington since April, seeking to end the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and separate their conflict from the wider regional war.