Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Jalal Firouznia on Tuesday voiced support for efforts to form a new government led by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

“We support all efforts aimed at forming a government led by Saad Hariri and we do not link it (the government) to any foreign developments,” Firouznia said after meeting Hariri at the Center House.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri does not intend to step down despite the ongoing deadlock in the government formation process, Center House sources have said.

In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, the sources dismissed reports suggesting that Hariri’s recent silence will eventually be followed by a decision to resign.

Prime minister-designate, Saad Hariri, said Thursday he is "pretty sure" that a six-month-old deadlock on forming a government will be broken by the end of the year.

He was speaking at London's Chatham House think-tank, seven months after parliamentary elections were held.

President Michel Aoun held talks Monday in Baabda with Speaker Nabih Berri and was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

Media reports said the meetings follow an urgent invitation from Aoun and are aimed at exploring means to break the government formation deadlock.

Caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq held talks Monday at the Center House with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

In a statement, Mashnouq had earlier stressed that Hariri “will not back down from his constitutional steadfastness in the cabinet formation process and will not step down from his mission, even if the level of pressures ‘reaches the peaks of mountains.’”

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan on Friday condemned “the campaign of disinformation and unjust accusations” against Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, as he warned against heeding strife calls.

“The campaigns of unjust accusations, insults and disinformation against the great national figure PM-designate Saad Hariri are shameful,” Daryan said, noting that motives behind the campaigns are “political par excellence” and aimed at “obstructing his national role which coincides with his intensive efforts to form a government within the constitutional stipulations.”

Progressive Socialist Party ex-MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday condemned what he described as a “defamation” campaign against Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

“Our partner in the country is like a robot. He has no feelings and unfortunately no appreciation of anything, even if the matter leads to economic deterioration. At least this is how things look,” Jumblat tweeted, in an apparent reference to the Hizbullah-led camp.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has received a cable of greetings marking Lebanon’s Independence Day from U.S. President Donald Trump, Hariri’s office said on Monday.

“We deeply value the partnership between our two countries and applaud the great progress your government has made over the past year, including by holding a successful legislative election and remaining steadfast in the fight against terrorism,” Trump says in the cable.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday commented sarcastically on reports suggesting that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri had been held against his will in Saudi Arabia last year.

“PM-designate Hariri will stay in Saudi Arabia for two days, so I hope there won't be rumors that he's kidnapped,” MBS quipped in remarks to an investment conference in Riyadh, flanked by Hariri and Bahrain's crown prince.

Parliament's legislative session witnessed Tuesday a verbal clash between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and MP Jamil al-Sayyed who is close to Hizbullah and Damascus.

The confrontation erupted when Hariri was talking about loans related to the CEDRE Lebanon support conference.