Iran Demands Full Withdrawal of Israeli Forces from Lebanon Entering Final Agreement with the US

JAKARTA - Iran has said Israel's full withdrawal from Lebanon must be part of a final deal with the US, amid fighting that continues to weigh on a US-Iranian interim deal.

"The withdrawal of the occupation forces from all occupied Lebanese territories is a necessary condition for reaching a final and lasting agreement to achieve regional stability," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by Iran's official news agency IRNA, reported by CNN, Monday, June 29.

Iran also insisted on the full implementation of the first clause of the memorandum of understanding, namely ending the war and Israel's military operations against Lebanon, said Baghaei.

The first article of the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this month calls for "an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

The document also states that "the final agreement will confirm the permanent cessation of war on all fronts, including in Lebanon," but does not explicitly demand the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

On Sunday, June 29, Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Iran's goal was to end the war in Lebanon so that displaced people could return home.

"Ending the occupation, and ensuring the withdrawal of the Zionist regime from Lebanese territory. "We are pursuing this with determination," Ghalibaf told Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon's parliament and the country's most senior Shiite official.