Officials in Tehran said Tuesday that any agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war requires Israel to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticized Israel’s handling of its campaign against Hezbollah as too bloody.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on June 16 that continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon or the ongoing presence of Israeli troops in Lebanese territory seized during the conflict would violate a U.S.–Iran framework for ending the war.
The framework, a memorandum of understanding negotiated between the two sides with Pakistan’s mediation, is expected to be formally signed on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. Iran’s demands for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon—opposed by Israeli leaders—is a potentially significant point of contention ahead of the deal’s planned signing….