Iran US Deal Strait of Hormuz: U. S-Iran deal to collapse? Top Tehran diplomat sounds warning related to reopening of Strait of Hormuz, resumption of all-out war
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the agreement. “The war is not fully over until Israeli forces withdraw from the lands they occupied during this war,” Araghchi said. he said.
A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the outlines of the agreement, said the agreement does not require Israel to withdraw. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said on Monday that Israel will remain in Lebanon “as long as necessary.”
Negotiations to end the war have been troubled by such disagreements before; This led to a long-lasting but uneasy ceasefire that failed to end hostilities permanently and left the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the world’s energy supplies, effectively closed. The Swiss foreign ministry said that the signing ceremony of the agreement will be held on Friday in the Bürgenstock resort near the city of Lucerne.
Iran calls for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon
Pakistan said the agreement called for an end to military operations, including in Lebanon, as Iran has long insisted. However, Araghchi’s call for Israel to withdraw adds a new dimension to the incident.
It leaves Israel in a dilemma as it tries to weaken Hezbollah’s military capabilities without undermining the agreement defended by its most important ally, the United States. Israel occupied Southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at the border in the first week of the war. It has since expanded its military footprint to levels not seen in decades and struck targets deep inside Beirut.
Although weakened, Hezbollah retains the ability to strike Israel, leaving open questions about the effectiveness of Israel’s campaign.
As of Tuesday evening, Netanyahu had not seen the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, said a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details behind closed doors. Another person who discussed private talks between Israel and the United States on condition of anonymity said Israeli officials did not request a memorandum from U.S. negotiators.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House declined to comment on whether Netanyahu or Israeli officials had reviewed the deal.
Lebanese Government Welcomes Ceasefire Expectations
Israel and the Lebanese government have begun their own direct negotiations, mediated by the United States, of which Hezbollah is not a part. These talks led to many ceasefires that were never implemented on the ground.
Lebanese officials initially tried to keep Lebanon apart from the US-Iran talks, not wanting to appear beholden to Iran, but have since welcomed the announcement that the agreement to end the US-Iran war would also include a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Araghchi’s latest comments appear to match the understanding of the two regional officials with direct knowledge of the interim agreement. This would require Israel to cede almost all of the territory it occupied in Lebanon, except for a few hillocks along the border it had previously captured, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door talks.
Officials said Iran insisted in the final days of the negotiations that the deal include Lebanon.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said Israel and Hezbollah still exchanged fire, but at a “significantly reduced level,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.
Many Questions Are Asked Before the Signing Ceremony
There are other important questions about the planned signing ceremony. The agreement is intended to provide a meaningful ceasefire in the months-long war in the Middle East that has killed thousands and raised the prices of fuel, food and other essential goods far beyond the region.
The agreement calls for the “immediate” opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the American naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to a senior US official who spoke to reporters on Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss the outlines of the agreement.
At least two oil tankers left Iran on Tuesday and passed the US military blockade without being stopped, according to ship tracking sites. It represented Iran’s first crude oil export in two months, commercial shipping tracking site TankerTrackers said. com said.
The site said it confirmed the departure of Iranian-flagged tankers Diona and Hero II with satellite images and that they were carrying a total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. U.S. Central Command said it had no comment.
US-Iran to Start Nuclear Dialogues
The United States and Iran will then begin 60-day talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the potential lifting of sanctions, Pakistani officials who brokered the interim deal, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the unpublished text, said.
The deal also includes the possibility of releasing Iran’s frozen funds and a $300 billion fund to help rebuild Iran if Tehran meets certain criteria, senior U.S. officials told reporters on Monday. Trump later said the United States “will not invest” funds in Iran.
U.S. officials have yet to say how they view the deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program, including who will be responsible for verifying Iran’s compliance with the agreement and who will destroy or extract highly enriched uranium believed to be buried beneath nuclear sites that were heavily damaged in U.S. strikes last summer.
Regional officials said Iran agreed to discuss ways to “dilute or eliminate” uranium. But it is not yet clear whether Tehran will accept this, especially as hard-liners oppose it.
Trump said he was open to sending the resulting agreement to the US Congress for review. Republicans on Capitol Hill say they want Trump to provide more information about the deal, while some express skepticism that the deal could deter Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
