Khamenei links US-Iran peace to Israel ending Lebanon attacks

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has linked any potential peace deal between Tehran and Washington to an "absolute, unconditional termination" of Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Khamenei declared on X that Iran's primary condition for ending the "imposed war against the aggressive US" is the preservation of Lebanon's territorial integrity and an end to Israeli aggression.

Khamenei also voiced strong support for the Lebanese group Hezbollah, its late leader Hassan Nasrallah, and the residents of southern Lebanon, which has been the primary target of Israeli strikes. He stated that the "defense of these oppressed yet powerful mujahideen [of Hezbollah] to be its strategic mandate."

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The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the defense of these oppressed yet powerful mujahideen [of Hezbollah] to be its strategic mandate.

The Supreme Leader's intervention comes amid reports of a temporary halt in attacks and renewed diplomacy between Iran and the United States. Iran has consistently demanded an end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon as a prerequisite for any agreement. This demand was included in a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries in June, though the agreement later collapsed over a dispute concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

Lebanon became involved in the conflict in March after Hezbollah initiated strikes on northern Israel. This action was attributed to the killing of Khamenei on the war's first day, February 28, and Israel's ongoing bombardment of Lebanese territory, which allegedly violated a prior ceasefire. A US-mediated framework agreement signed on June 26 stipulated a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory, but without a specific timeline. Instead, it stated Israel would withdraw once Hezbollah was disarmed, a condition rejected by both Iran and Hezbollah. Reports indicate that Israeli forces are currently obstructing the withdrawal process from designated "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon.

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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.