Dubai: Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday that the deal ending the war with the United States would also require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. But with Israel insisting it will keep forces in Lebanon, questions are growing about the still-unpublished agreement and whether disagreement over its terms could prolong the conflict.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the memorandum of understanding reached between the United States and Iran.
“The end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the complete end of the war,” Araghchi said in statements made to foreign diplomats in Tehran that were aired on Iranian state TV. “Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end.”
Araghchi said further Israeli attacks on Lebanon “will be considered by us a violation of the memorandum of understanding.”
The United States has not said whether Lebanon was part of the final agreement. But Araghchi’s description clashes with statements made by Israeli officials about the deal to end the war that started with joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28.
Israel is not a party to the agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday described it as President Donald Trump’s decision, noting Israel had its own priorities and would remain in a buffer zone in Lebanon “as long as necessary.”
The ambiguity mirrored developments during past negotiations, including the temporary ceasefire brokered in April. That agreement did not pave the way to broader peace or the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Iran announced differing frameworks.
Unresolved issues cast doubt on the agreement’s long-term prospects
The discrepancy underscored how much of the agreement remains apparently unresolved ahead of a planned ceremonial signing Friday in Geneva.
The agreement is meant to provide a meaningful truce in a month-long war that has killed thousands across the Middle East, including the top leaders of Iran’s theocracy, and raised the prices of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the region.
The unpublished agreement provides for the “immediate” opening of the Strait of Hormuz and lifting of the blockade, according to a senior US official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss outlines of the agreement Monday.
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Brokered mainly by Pakistan, it starts with the simultaneous lifting of Iran’s closure of the strait and the US blockade of Iran’s ports, according to Pakistani officials. The United States and Iran will then begin 60 days of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and the potential lifting of sanctions, Pakistani officials who helped broker the interim deal said, speaking on condition of anonymity about the unpublished text.
It also includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds, sanctions relief and a USD 300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran if Tehran meets certain benchmarks, senior US officials told reporters Monday.
Araghchi’s comments Tuesday appear to match the understanding of two regional officials with direct knowledge of the interim deal. The officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations, said it would require Israel to leave nearly all the territory it occupies in Lebanon, minus a few hilltop points along the border seized earlier.
The officials say Iran insisted the accord include Lebanon in the last days of the negotiations. Regarding the timeline, the officials said the release of frozen Iranian assets is tied to Tehran implementing the deal. Gulf Arab states have also pledged to inject billions of dollars into Iran’s economy, they added.
Beyond Lebanon, there’s one more point of possible contention on Iran’s nuclear program. The interim deal begins a 60-day clock for talks over Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iran has agreed to discuss ways to possibly “dilute or remove” its stockpile, the officials said. However, it remains unclear whether Tehran would agree to that, particularly with hard-liners opposed to giving it up.
US officials have not yet explained how they see the agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program, including who will be in charge of verifying that Iran is in compliance and who will destroy or remove highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that were badly damaged by US strikes last summer.
Despite anger, US allies push to make the deal work at the G7 summit
Meanwhile, world leaders gathered in France for the first full day of the Group of Seven summit of major industrialised nations, where Iran was high on the agenda. Scheduled discussions include a work session focused on “ending crises and ensuring stability in the Middle East.” Leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are to join the talks.
Trump has clashed with European leaders over not consulting them before going to war in Iran. Even so, leaders are expected to strike a measured tone as they seek ways to ease the economic fallout from rising oil prices caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahead of their meeting, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement congratulating the United States, the Iranian government and the mediators on what they called a “diplomatic breakthrough.” Canada also signed the statement. The leaders said it was vital for detailed negotiations to take place and for the deal to be quickly implemented so the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened to tanker traffic.
AP
