Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaie said Thursday that the Islamic Republic has proven it does not abandon its friends in any situation, and that the ceasefire and ending the war in Lebanon were and remain as important for Iran as for Iran itself, according to N12's Asaf Rozentzweig. Baghaie noted that Lebanon is mentioned three times in the first article of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), and stressed the document includes respect for Lebanon's territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaie reiterated Tehran's position that the ceasefire and an end to the war in Lebanon are as vital for Iran as for Lebanon itself, in a statement to the Iranian news agency Tasnim overnight Thursday. Baghaie stressed that Lebanon appears three times in the first article of the still-emerging memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, and that the document includes binding language on Lebanese territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The statement reinforces a consistent Iranian messaging campaign. As The Zioneer has reported over the past week, Iran's foreign minister and other officials have repeatedly made the case that the Lebanon war and the broader Iran deal are inseparable. On June 16, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ending the war in Lebanon was 'the most important issue' in the MoU and that it could not be separated from ending the war on Iran itself — language that Israeli officials have disputed.
Baghaie's overnight remarks come hours after the latest round of indirect US-Iran talks concluded, with no public breakthrough. The Iranian spokesman did not address whether the MoU has been finalized, nor did he specify mechanisms for enforcing the territorial integrity clause. The United States has not yet commented on Baghaie's latest framing. Israeli officials have stated that Israel will not withdraw from security arrangements it has established in southern Lebanon.
2 developments
- StrongIran warns US must enforce Lebanon ceasefire obligations from MoU
- StrongAraghchi vows Iran will 'never leave Lebanon alone'
- StrongIran's Baghaie says continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon violate MoU, warns US
- StrongIran: Deal Must Include Guarantees for Lebanon's Security and Territorial Integrity
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