Iran and the United States will begin a new round of negotiations in Switzerland on Friday to finalise a broader agreement following the formal launch of an interim deal, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday, while insisting that a complete end to the conflict also requires Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.
Speaking to diplomats from other countries, Araghchi said Israel's continued presence in southern Lebanon would violate the memorandum of understanding reached between Tehran and Washington.
"The end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the complete end of the war," 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."
Araghchi also warned that any future Israeli attack on Lebanon would breach the agreement.
"Araghchi said further Israeli attacks on Lebanon 'will be considered by us a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding.'"
"In our view, the two parties to this memorandum are the U.S. and Israel on one side, and Iran and Hezbollah on the other," he said.
The United States has not publicly stated that Lebanon forms part of the final agreement, creating uncertainty over the scope of the deal ahead of a planned signing ceremony in Geneva on Friday.
The Iranian minister's remarks appeared at odds with statements from Israeli officials. Although Israel is not a signatory to the agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the deal was U.S. President Donald Trump's decision and that Israel would remain in a buffer zone in Lebanon "as long as necessary."
The disagreement highlights lingering ambiguities over the still-unpublished accord, which is intended to end a month-long conflict that has killed thousands across the Middle East, including senior leaders of Iran's ruling establishment, and disrupted global energy and commodity markets.
According to senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, the agreement calls for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the blockade. It also includes provisions for the possible release of Iran's frozen funds, sanctions relief and the creation of a USD 300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, contingent on Tehran meeting agreed benchmarks.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said the country's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, would attend the signing of the interim agreement with the United States. He added that details of the venue and format of the ceremony had yet to be finalised.
Trump said on Monday that Vice President JD Vance would attend the formal signing ceremony in Geneva.