Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a peace agreement with the U.S. requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon to end regional warfare.

This stance connects the security of Iran directly to the territorial status of Lebanon. By making Israeli withdrawal a prerequisite for a broader peace deal, Tehran is positioning the Lebanese conflict as the central pivot for stabilizing its own relations with the U.S.

During a press briefing for diplomats in Tehran on Monday, June 1, 2026 [2], Araghchi discussed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) intended to begin on Friday, June 5, 2026 [1]. He said the MOU includes a permanent end to the war on all fronts, but maintained that this goal is unattainable without an Israeli exit from Lebanese territory.

Araghchi said that "ending the war in Lebanon is the most important issue in the US deal" [3]. He said that the conflict in Lebanon is directly linked to the occupation of Lebanese territory, suggesting that a lasting peace for Iran cannot exist in isolation from the situation in Lebanon [3].

According to Araghchi, the two issues are inextricably linked. "The end of the war in Lebanon is quite connected to the end of the war on Iran," he said [1].

While the diplomat noted that parties are "very close to a deal that will end the war in the region" [4], the requirement for withdrawal remains a primary condition. The MOU aims to establish a framework for a permanent ceasefire that would encompass multiple fronts of conflict simultaneously.

Tehran has consistently maintained that regional stability depends on the removal of foreign military presence in neighboring states. This latest assertion reinforces the Iranian strategy of linking its bilateral agreements with the U.S. to the broader geopolitical landscape of the Levant.

“"Ending the war in Lebanon is the most important issue in the US deal."”

By linking the U.S. memorandum of understanding to Israeli troop movements in Lebanon, Iran is expanding the scope of its negotiations. This strategy effectively transforms a bilateral U.S.-Iran diplomatic track into a multilateral regional settlement, ensuring that any reduction in pressure on Tehran is contingent upon a shift in Israeli military posture in the Levant.