Khamenei ties US-Iran peace deal to end of Israel attacks on Lebanon
Mojtaba Khamenei said any deal with Washington depends on Israel halting attacks in Lebanon as diplomacy resumes.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said a Khamenei US-Iran peace deal depends on Israel ending its attacks on Lebanon, reiterating Tehran’s stated condition for ending the war with Washington. His statement on X on Sunday came as Al Jazeera reported a pause in strikes between the United States and Iran and fresh diplomacy between the two sides.
Khamenei said Iran’s position is that Lebanon’s territorial integrity must be preserved and that Israeli attacks must end without conditions before any agreement can be reached to stop what he called the imposed war against the United States, according to his post.
What did Khamenei say about a US-Iran peace deal?
Khamenei said Iran would link any agreement with Washington to Israel stopping military action in Lebanon. He also used a series of posts to express support for Hezbollah, its former leader Hassan Nasrallah and residents of southern Lebanon, which Al Jazeera described as the center of Israel’s attacks.
In another post, Khamenei said Iran views the defense of Hezbollah fighters as part of its strategic duty. The statement placed Lebanon and Hezbollah at the center of Tehran’s public terms as talks with the United States resume.
Al Jazeera reported that Iran has repeatedly demanded an end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon as a condition for ending the war. That demand was included in the first clause of a memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States in June, but the agreement later collapsed during a dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.
How did Lebanon become part of the conflict?
Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in March after Hezbollah fired on northern Israel, Al Jazeera reported. Hezbollah cited the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28, the first day of the war, and Israel’s near-daily bombardment of Lebanese territory, which Hezbollah said breached a 2024 ceasefire.
On June 26, after the US-Iran memorandum was signed, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a US-mediated framework for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, according to Al Jazeera. The framework did not set a timetable, saying instead that Israel would leave occupied areas after Hezbollah was disarmed.
Iran and Hezbollah rejected that arrangement, Al Jazeera reported. The first stage of the plan covers Israeli withdrawal from three “pilot zones,” but the Lebanese army said Sunday that Israeli forces were blocking the process, including by refusing to leave designated areas.
Al Jazeera reported that, as of Sunday, Israeli forces were still bulldozing, shelling and carrying out combing operations with machineguns across large areas of occupied southern Lebanon.
What is the toll in Lebanon?
At least 4,329 people have been killed in the latest round of violence in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported. The report said 37 Israeli soldiers and four Israeli civilians have also died.
UN peacekeepers have said Israel violated an earlier ceasefire with Hezbollah more than 10,000 times, according to Al Jazeera.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Al Jazeera reported that he became supreme leader after the United States and Israel assassinated his father.
Khamenei’s comments on Lebanon came as the war widened into Yemen, with reports of attacks exchanged between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, according to Al Jazeera.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.