Iran respects Lebanese people's decision in parliamentary vote - official

Supporters carry Hezbollah and Amal Movement flags as they ride in a convoy past a poster depicting Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad, as votes are being counted in Lebanon's parliamentary election, in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah

Iran said on Monday it respected the votes cast by people in Lebanon’s parliamentary election, where unofficial results showed some of Tehran-backed Hezbollah's oldest allies suffering losses and their opponents gaining more seats.

"Iran respects the vote of Lebanese people... Iran has never tried to interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told a televised weekly news conference.

The Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah has worked hand in glove with Tehran across the Middle East since it was founded by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to export Tehran's Islamic Revolution.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Amal Movement carry flags while riding in a convoy as votes are being counted in Lebanon's parliamentary election, in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah

With votes still being counted in Lebanon, the final results have yet to emerge for the first election since Lebanon's devastating economic meltdown and a huge port explosion in 2020 that shattered Beirut.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah carry flags while riding in a convoy as votes are being counted in Lebanon's parliamentary election, in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah