ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that “the end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the complete end of the [US - Iran] war” amid a pending signing that is to take place on Friday, despite Israel’s objections that it functions independently of the US and is not a binding party to the agreement.
“The end of the war also includes the end of the occupation,” said Araghchi, adding that “ the end of the war is not complete without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the lands they occupied in this war.”
Araghchi made the remarks in a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran and reiterated that, “in our view, the two sides of this memorandum are the US and the Zionist regime on one side, and Iran and Hezbollah on the other,” emphasizing that “from day one Iran considered ending the war in Lebanon as a prerequisite for ending the war with Iran.”
“As these two fronts became interdependent” Araghchi stated, “without the withdrawal of the Zionist regime from Lebanon, the end of the war will not take place."
This comes as JD Vance told CNN Monday that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was “a very general document” whose pending details would have to be ‘figured out’ during the technical negotiation phase.
Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump had announced that “the deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” including the “toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz” and the “immediate removal of the United States naval blockade” on Iranian ports.
Discussions come after months of hostilities and a fragile Pakistan-brokered ceasefire following US and Israel’s aerial campaign against Iran on February 28, in which both parties struck thousands of targets across the country during six weeks of fighting.
“Certainly, any military attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon from now on and the continued occupation of Lebanese lands will be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding in our opinion,” Araghchi warned.
In contrast, Israel National Security Minister Ben Gvir rebutted on Monday that they are “not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way” affirming that “we must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah.”
Several Israeli leaders, among them Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz, affirmed that Jerusalem was not consulted as a party to the agreement and is not bound to its conditions.
“Israel must ensure that in the future as well, we will have the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said on his X account Friday, alongside Israeli minister Smotrich’s affirmation that “this is our war, our fighters, and the immediate security of our northern residents” and “we will have to continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves and in creative ways, and ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.”
Katz affirmed that Jerusalem would not “withdraw from the security zones in Lebanon,” and that it would function independently of the US in its continued fight against “the Shiite axis of evil led by Iran and the Sunni axis of evil led by the Muslim Brotherhood.”
While Vance expressed reassurances to placate Jerusalem's concerns saying on Monday that “it has been clear from day one: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” and “the Iranians don't get a dime unless they behave and change their behavior,” Israel framed its alleged military victory on Friday over the killing of Ali Mussa Daqduq - a senior member of Hezbollah responsible for orchestrating the kidnappings and murders of five US soldiers in 2007- as a mutual benefit, signalling a partnership to be protected.
As Iran and the US exchange statements on the final details of what the agreement entails, the US and partnering countries anticipate its official signing ceremony scheduled this Friday in Switzerland.
