Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday evening that ending the war in Lebanon is 'the most important issue' in the emerging memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States. He described the MOU as having two sides: the US and Israel on one side, and Iran and Hezbollah on the other, according to the Iranian foreign minister's statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi doubled down Tuesday evening on linking a Lebanon ceasefire to the emerging US-Iran memorandum of understanding, calling it "the most important issue" in the accord and framing the emerging deal as a two-sided arrangement between the US and Israel on one side and Iran and Hezbollah on the other.
The statement escalates the rhetorical stakes ahead of the expected Friday signing, directly contradicting Israeli security briefings that separate the Lebanese and Iranian tracks. As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday (at 21:27 Jerusalem), Araghchi also stated that Iran will commence nuclear negotiations with the US on the day the MOU is signed. The latest language makes explicit what had been implicit in prior statements: that Tehran treats the Beirut and Tehran fronts as a single bargaining unit. The Israeli position, reiterated by PM Netanyahu, maintains that Israel will not withdraw from security zones it has established in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria. The White House has not publicly confirmed whether the Lebanon clause is part of the signed document or a separate political statement.
- StrongAraghchi says Lebanon war end inseparable from Iran's, demands full Israeli withdrawal
- DevelopingIran FM: US demands on nuclear issue unacceptable at this stage
- DevelopingLebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks with Iranian FM Araghchi after MOU announcement
- StrongIran's Araghchi: any Israeli strike on Lebanon or remaining in occupied lands breaches MoU
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