Iran says Israel’s continued presence in south Lebanon would nullify deal with US

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says that Israel’s continued presence in southern Lebanon would mean the “annulment” of the memorandum of understanding it signed with the United States, in an interview with Lebanon’s Hezbollah-aligned Al Akhbar news outlet.

He says that “the second phase of our negotiations will begin to reach a final agreement, and this final agreement will be achieved only if the memorandum of understanding is fully implemented, which, in our view, means the complete cessation of attacks and the end of the occupation.”

US and Iranian negotiators are set to meet in the Swiss resort town of Burgenstock on Friday for initial talks.

“It was not acceptable for us to abandon our brothers in Lebanon,” Baghaei says. “As for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, as you know, we mean to end the war and put a definitive and sustainable end to it. For this reason, we cannot talk about ending the war while parts of Lebanese territory remain under the occupation of the Zionist entity. As long as the occupation continues, it can be said that the war is still in place and has not ended in essence.”