Iran’s foreign minister has said a peace deal with the United States will not be complete unless Israel withdraws its forces from southern Lebanon – a demand that threatens to unravel the ceasefire the US and Iran are due to sign at the end of the week. The comments from Abbas Araghchi come after three months of conflict between the US and Iran, and as Israeli drone strikes continue to kill people in southern Lebanon.
The basics of this story are straightforward: the United States and Iran are preparing to sign a peace deal on Friday to end the war that began earlier this year. But Iran is now insisting that Israel must first pull all its troops out of Lebanese territory it occupied during the present conflict. Araghchi said: “Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end.” Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that fought alongside Iran, has confirmed it received assurances from Tehran that it would demand an Israeli withdrawal in the next phase of talks with the US.
“Why Iran demands Israel leave Lebanon before signing a US peace deal.”
To understand why this matters, you need some background. The current crisis began when the US launched a military campaign against Iran – a campaign that one former British diplomat described as an “incoherent failure”. The war lasted only a few weeks, but the aftermath has dragged on for months. Despite overwhelming US and Israeli military superiority, neither side achieved a decisive political outcome. Iran’s leadership survived, the Strait of Hormuz remained vulnerable, and low-level confrontation continued through maritime incidents and cyber operations. Now the US and Iran are trying to negotiate a settlement, but the process is complicated by the actions of Israel, which has been fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon simultaneously. President Donald Trump recently criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing an Israeli bombing of Beirut as “vicious” and saying Israel must “behave more responsibly”. Trump warned that without US support, Israel would not exist.
For UK readers, this matters because the stability of the Middle East directly affects energy prices, security, and migration patterns. The UK has a long history of diplomatic involvement in the region – the former UK ambassador to Iran, who dealt directly with Araghchi, noted that Iran’s negotiation style is a “bazaar style” requiring “great patience and time”. A US-Iran peace deal could reduce the risk of disruption to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, which would affect fuel prices at UK pumps. On the other hand, if the deal collapses because of Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanon, the region could slide back into open conflict, with unpredictable consequences for global security.
Here are three key questions readers often ask:
Q: Why does Iran want Israel to leave Lebanon before signing the US deal? Iran sees the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon as a non-negotiable condition for ending the war. The Iranian foreign minister argued that without it, the conflict in Lebanon is not fully over, and Hezbollah – Iran’s ally – needs the assurance that its territory will be free of Israeli troops.
Q: What is the current status of the US-Iran peace talks? The US and Iran are scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday, representing a return to diplomacy after more than three months of hostilities. However, it is only an initial accord – the beginning of a long negotiation process, not a final settlement. Opposition remains strong in both Iran and Israel, and some US Republicans are uneasy about the concessions that may be required.
Q: Could the peace deal still collapse? Yes. Even now, there is a residual risk that Washington could reverse course, as it has done repeatedly during the conflict. If it does, Iran will respond with reciprocity, in line with its foreign policy doctrine. Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon – including a “double-tap” drone strike that killed at least four people – also threaten to undermine the ceasefire.
What happens next is uncertain. The immediate priority for diplomats is to stabilise the existing ceasefire and create a framework for more substantive talks. Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon, and Iran has promised Hezbollah it will not sign a final deal until those troops leave. President Trump has shown impatience with Israel, but his administration is still negotiating with Iran. European and Gulf governments are watching closely, aware that the coming weeks will determine whether this peace deal holds or becomes another chapter in a long history of failed Middle East diplomacy.