Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that any peace agreement between Tehran and Washington would depend on Israel ending its military offensive in Lebanon, hardening Iran’s stance as diplomatic
efforts to halt the conflict continue.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran had made the “preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity” and the “absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression” the primary condition for ending what he described as the “imposed war” with the United States.
“Iran has designated the preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, and the absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression as the primary condition for any agreement to ending the imposed war against the aggressive US,” he wrote.
Mojtaba Khamenei also reaffirmed Tehran’s support for Hezbollah, its slain former leader Hassan Nasrallah, and residents of southern Lebanon, where Israeli military operations have been concentrated.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the defense of these oppressed yet powerful mujahideen (of Hezbollah) to be its strategic mandate,” he said.
The remarks come amid a pause in direct hostilities between Iran and the United States and renewed diplomatic engagement after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in June. However, that agreement later collapsed following disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz.
According to reports, Iran had included Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and an end to its attacks there as the first condition in the June understanding with Washington.
Lebanon entered the regional conflict in March after Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israel, citing both the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the opening phase of the US-Israel war against Iran and Israel’s continued strikes inside Lebanese territory, which Hezbollah said violated a previous ceasefire.
Although Lebanon and Israel later signed a US-mediated framework agreement calling for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, the deal did not set a timeline. Instead, it linked Israel’s withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament- a condition rejected by both Iran and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army said that Israeli forces were obstructing the first phase of the agreement by refusing to withdraw from designated “pilot zones.” Israeli forces also continued shelling, bulldozing and conducting military operations in parts of southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.
The latest round of fighting has killed at least 4,329 people in Lebanon, while Israel has reported the deaths of 37 soldiers and four civilians. United Nations peacekeepers have previously accused Israel of violating an earlier ceasefire with Hezbollah more than 10,000 times.
