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Israel is conducting “stubborn negotiations” with the United States and has no intention of backing down from its core security demands.
By United with Israel Staff
Israeli officials are pushing back against growing Iranian demands tied to the newly signed U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, insisting that the IDF will remain in southern Lebanon despite Tehran’s efforts to link a future nuclear agreement to an Israeli withdrawal.
According to comments published Thursday in the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the implementation of the memorandum — and any eventual nuclear agreement between Tehran and Washington — depends on a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and a complete halt to Israeli military operations in the country.
Baghaei argued that the memorandum’s commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity requires Israel to leave all Lebanese territory.
“If that does not happen, the memorandum of understanding is null and void,” he said, adding that a final agreement could only be reached after what he described as an end to the “occupation” and a complete cessation of hostilities.
The remarks echo earlier reports in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, which cited a source affiliated with Hezbollah as saying Iran had assured Hezbollah that Israel would begin a gradual withdrawal from Lebanon following the signing of the memorandum and complete it before a final nuclear agreement is reached.
According to that report, Tehran informed Hezbollah that it would not finalize a permanent agreement with Washington unless Israel’s withdrawal is completed within the 60-day negotiating framework outlined in the memorandum.
Israeli officials, however, have made clear that no such commitment exists from Jerusalem’s perspective.
Reuters reported Thursday that Israel is engaged in intensive discussions with Washington regarding the future of its military deployment in southern Lebanon.
Citing two Israeli officials, including a senior official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters reported that Israel is seeking to maintain its troop presence south of the Litani River despite language in the memorandum emphasizing Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The senior Israeli official told Reuters that Israel is conducting “stubborn negotiations” with the United States and has no intention of backing down from its core security demands.
According to the report, Israel remains determined to keep forces deployed in key areas south of the Litani River, arguing that the presence is essential to preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its military infrastructure near the border.
The dispute over Lebanon has emerged as one of the most sensitive issues surrounding the U.S.-Iran agreement.
While Tehran is portraying the memorandum as a pathway toward an eventual Israeli withdrawal, Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that the security zones established during the war are a central strategic achievement and will not be abandoned under external pressure.
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