Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday that the interim deal to end the war with the United States requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, a condition Israel rejects and that could sink the deal, leading to the resumption of an all-out war.
The agreement, which is between USA and Iranhas not been made public, and officials have sometimes offered conflicting interpretations of what it contains. Although Israel is not part of the deal, it is part of the war: It joined the United States in attacking Iran on February 28, and has since battled the Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon and taken over large swaths of that country.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchisaid continued Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the agreement.
“Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end,” the foreign minister said.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the deal did not call for an Israeli withdrawal. And the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahusaid on Monday that Israel would remain in Lebanon “as long as necessary.”
Negotiations to end the war have already been plagued by such disagreements, leading to a protracted but uneasy ceasefire that has failed to become a permanent end to hostilities and left the Strait of Hormuza crucial waterway for the world’s energy supplies, effectively closed.
In other developments, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said the agreement signing ceremony will take place on Friday at the Bürgenstock tourist resort near the city of Lucerne. Ministry officials said Tuesday that the location was proposed by mediators from Pakistan and Qataralong with the United States and Iran.
Lebanon tests the durability of the agreement
Pakistan, a key mediator, has said the deal called for an end to military operations, including in Lebanon, as Iran long insisted. But Araghchi’s call for an Israeli withdrawal adds a new twist.
It puts Israel in a dilemma as it tries to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities and restore deterrence without undermining an agreement championed by its most important ally, the United States. Israel invaded southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles across the border during the first week of the war. It has since expanded its military presence to levels not seen in decades and has struck targets deep inside Beirut.
Although Hezbollah has been weakened, it retains the ability to attack Israel, leaving open questions about the effectiveness of Israel’s campaign.
The magnitude of Israel’s attacks has at times opened a public fracture between its leaders and President Donald Trump, who told reporters Tuesday that he was “not happy with the way Israel has behaved with Lebanon and with Hezbollah.”
“It just goes on forever,” he said of Israel’s strategy. Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed nearly 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, and displaced more than 1 million. “And when that happens, it shines a negative light on the big deal. And that’s the Iran deal.”
Trump said he is open to sending the emerging agreement to the US Congress for review.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in the French Alps, Trump said: “I like the idea, please send it to Congress.” He added: “I mean, who wouldn’t approve?”
Republicans on Capitol Hill say they want Trump to provide more information about the deal, and some express skepticism that the deal could deter Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Israel and the Lebanese government have engaged in their own direct negotiations mediated by the United States, of which Hezbollah was not a part. Those talks have produced several announced ceasefires that were never implemented on the ground. Lebanese officials initially attempted to keep Lebanon separate from the US-Iran negotiations, not wanting to be seen as dependent on Iran, but have since welcomed the announcement that the deal to end the US-Iran war would include a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Araghchi’s comments on Tuesday appear to be consistent with the understanding of two regional officials with direct knowledge of the provisional agreement. The officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations, said it would require Israel to give up almost all of the territory it occupies in Lebanon, minus a few hilltop points along the border taken earlier.
Officials say Iran insisted that the deal include Lebanon in the final days of negotiations.
Allies press at G7 summit
Lebanon is just one of several major questions hanging over the ceasefire ahead of the planned ceremonial signing.
The deal aims to provide a significant truce in a months-long war that has killed thousands of people across the Middle East, including top leaders of Iran’s theocracy, and driven up prices for fuel, food and other commodities far beyond the region.
The unpublished agreement provides for the “immediate” opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the blockade, according to a senior US official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the outlines of the agreement on Monday.
Negotiated primarily by Pakistan, the plan begins with Iran simultaneously lifting its closure of the strait and the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports, according to Pakistani officials who helped negotiate the deal. The United States and Iran will then begin 60 days of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and the possible lifting of sanctions, Pakistani officials who helped negotiate the interim deal said, speaking on condition of anonymity about the unpublished text.
It also includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds and a $300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran if Tehran meets certain parameters, senior U.S. officials told reporters on Monday. Trump later said the United States would not “invest” funds in Iran.
As for the timeline, regional officials who spoke to the AP about the deal said the release of frozen Iranian assets is tied to Tehran implementing the deal. The Gulf Arab states have also pledged to inject billions of dollars into Iran’s economy, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations.
Iran’s nuclear program, specifically the fate of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, would be subject to the 60-day countdown. Iran has agreed to discuss ways to possibly “dilute or withdraw” its stockpile, the officials said. However, it remains unclear whether Tehran would agree to that, particularly because its hardline leaders oppose handing them over.
the iranian nuclear program
U.S. officials have not yet explained how they see the deal addressing Iran’s nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying Iran’s compliance and who will destroy or remove highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that saw significant damage in U.S. attacks last summer.
Still, world leaders gathering in France for the first full day of the G7 summit insisted the deal needed to succeed, even as key questions remained unanswered.
Some had clashed with Trump for not consulting them before going to war. But the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Britain issued a joint statement congratulating the United States, the Iranian government and mediators for what they called a “diplomatic breakthrough” before the summit began, saying it was vital that the deal be implemented quickly.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France and other Western nations were “ready to act very quickly” to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz peacefully.
