Iran23 May, 20263 min read
Abbas Araghchi Says U.S.-Iran Deal Requires Israel Withdrawal From Lebanon
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Iran says any US-Iran deal requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. A memorandum would extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start new negotiations.
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Deal, Lebanon condition
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said the tentative U.S.-Iran deal to end the war would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, warning that without withdrawal “the war has not fully come to an end.”
“‘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.”
Araghchi said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal, while a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said the deal did not call for an Israeli withdrawal.
The Korea Times reported that Israel joined the U.S. in launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and has since fought the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and seized large swaths of that country.
The dispute over Lebanon came as Switzerland’s foreign ministry said the signing ceremony for the deal will take place Friday at the Bürgenstock resort near the city of Luzern, with the location proposed by Pakistani and Qatari mediators, along with the U.S. and Iran.
The Korea Times also said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters Monday that Israel would remain in Lebanon “as long as necessary.”
Signing in Switzerland
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a peace agreement between the United States and Iran has been reached, with the signing to take place next Friday in Switzerland, and he confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump said the agreement has been completed.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “The agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” and he said the Strait of Hormuz would be opened for ships “without fees” alongside the immediate lifting of the U.S. maritime blockade.
The Al Jazeera report said Iran’s National Security Council stated, “We completed the final draft of the memorandum of understanding for negotiations to end the war between Iran and the United States.”
It added that the council said the war on all fronts—including Lebanon—would stop immediately and permanently tonight, and that the naval blockade imposed on Iran would be lifted immediately and in full.
CNN Arabic said the announcement drew mixed reactions, with Israeli opposition to a withdrawal from Lebanon and with the U.S. and Iran set to sign in Geneva on Friday.
What comes next
Beyond the ceasefire, the Business Standard said the interim agreement would extend a tenuous ceasefire announced in April by another 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.
The Business Standard reported that negotiators would address difficult issues like the future of Iran’s nuclear programme during the next phase of talks held during the 60-day window, while it said two other issues used to justify the war—ending Iran’s support for regional armed proxies and curbing its missile programme—were not thought to be on the agenda.
It also said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on social media that the interim agreement was an “important step” toward stopping the fighting but noted a final deal for a lasting truce “has yet to take shape.”
Yonhap reported that U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had already signed a memorandum of understanding, with the signing ceremony scheduled for Friday, and that the MOU states the Strait of Hormuz will be open toll-free for 60 days.
Yonhap further said the U.S. expects toll-free traffic to be part of the final agreement and that any U.S. benefits would be contingent on Iran’s performance tied to “verifiable milestones.”