Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Iran of treating Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in its broader confrontation with the United States and Israel, saying Lebanon’s population was “fed up” with the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour from the presidential palace in Beirut, the Lebanese president said Iran was pursuing its own strategic interests at Lebanon’s expense.

“You are not trying to help us … the people of Lebanon are paying the price … for the sake of your own interest,” he said in a direct address to Tehran.“Our interests … do not coincide with your interests.”

He also issued unusually sharp criticism of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying: “It’s not your country, it’s our country.”

Aoun rejected a recent statement by the Revolutionary Guards calling for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as part of what they described as a wider U.S.-Iran understanding, arguing instead that Lebanon was being instrumentalised in external negotiations.

“They are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with US,” he said. “It’s unacceptable.”

Aoun said Lebanon’s people were exhausted by decades of conflict and urged an end to the cycle of war.

“They are both fed up with war since 1948,” he said, referring to Israelis and Lebanese alike. “This is a huge opportunity (and) they both have to choose: war…or diplomacy.”

Aoun also took aim at Hezbollah’s leadership, including Secretary-General Naim Qassem, in some of his sharpest public comments to date.

Directly addressing Qassem, he said: "The Lebanese people are not your people.”

The Lebanese president said he had spoken with citizens across different sectarian communities, including Shiites, many of whom, he said, were deeply weary of Hezbollah’s war with Israel.

Aoun added that Lebanese civilians were paying a devastating price for the conflict, saying entire families had been “wiped out” in Israeli strikes and showing images of those killed.

“They are Lebanese people. They are not Naim Qassem’s people,” he said.

He added that many citizens had told him they were “fed up” with the war and no longer willing to endure repeated cycles of destruction, saying: “They deserve not seeing their homes destroyed every five to 10 years.”

In a statement on Thursday, Qassem had dismissed ongoing Lebanon-Israel negotiations as a “surrender,” saying any resulting truce was rejected in its “entirety by broad segments of the Lebanese people.”

Aoun, however, said he believed most Lebanese citizens wanted an end to the fighting and a return to stability.

“They are both fed up with war since 1948,” he said, referring to both Lebanese and Israelis. “This is a huge opportunity (and) they both have to choose: war…or diplomacy.”

He said military solutions would not provide lasting security for Israel, urging a shift toward negotiations instead.

“Military solutions” will never bring security and safety to Israelis living in the north of their country, he said, adding that the decades-long state of hostility between the two sides must end “forever.”

Asked whether he would consider meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aoun did not rule out the possibility but said any such meeting would depend on a prior agreement.

“Not before reaching an agreement (to end the war),” he said.

Aoun said Lebanon remained committed to a negotiated settlement despite the challenges, describing diplomacy as the only viable path out of the crisis.

“We are ready, we are willing, we are committed (to negotiations to end the war),” he said. “If you are not, you will never live in peace, safety and security.”