Iran says ending war in Lebanon is key condition of peace deal with US and Israel

TEHRAN, June 16 — Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said today that ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, was “the most important” issue in the peace deal with the United States announced the day before.

“The important point I want to emphasise here is that in our view, there are two parties to this memorandum—one side is America and Israel, and the other side is Iran and Hezbollah,” said Araghchi during a briefing with foreign diplomats broadcast on state television.

“This is perhaps the most important issue in the memorandum—the declaration of an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” he said, adding that “ending the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the complete end of the war”.

His remarks came one day after Tehran and Washington announced a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict, which broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran and engulfed the Middle East.

Lebanon was pulled into the war in early March when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.

Araghchi said an end to the war would not be complete “without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories it occupied in this war”.

“Any military attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon from now on and the continued occupation of Lebanese territories from now on will be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding in our view,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country’s forces will remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza “as long as necessary”.

Following the deal announcement yesterday Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli forces trying to advance in southern Lebanon.

The deal is expected to be signed on Friday in Switzerland. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said his country’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will attend the signing with an Iranian delegation, according to state television.

The US delegation will be headed by Vice President JD Vance, he added.

“It is also not yet clear how the signing will take place, including whether it will be conducted electronically or not,” he said.

Araghchi said the signing “will take place soon” and that talks with the United States on a final agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme will begin after the signing.

“Likely on Friday, at a location to be determined... a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States to reach a final agreement will begin,” Araghchi said.

“In the final agreement, decisions will be made on the nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions,” he added. — AFP