Iran presses US over Lebanon as Israeli strikes test fragile ceasefire and broader peace efforts.
Published On 20 Jun 2026
Iran says it is ready to move forward with diplomacy with the United States, but insists Washington must ensure Israel complies with the agreement to end the war. Tehran has repeatedly said the deal requires an end to hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon.
The comments come as a US official told Reuters that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, despite reports of continued Israeli attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US has a “commitment and responsibility” to ensure the deal is upheld on all fronts.
Here is what we know:
In Iran:
- Iran sees Lebanon as “a test” of US leverage over Israel: Muhanad Seloom of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies said Tehran is watching whether the US can “actually control or rein in the Israeli side”, calling Lebanon “a test” of Washington’s influence. “If the United States is not able to stop Israel from attacking Lebanon,” he said, “who will guarantee that in the future Israel won’t attack Iran itself?” For Iran, he added, it is crucial to see whether the US can “guarantee that Israel will abide by the terms of any upcoming agreements”.
- Linking Lebanon to Iran-US deal could backfire: Former US official Mark Kimmitt said it was “very, very unwise” for Iran to make an end to Israel’s war in Lebanon a condition of the agreement. “They can’t control what Hezbollah is going to do, and the United States doesn’t control what Israel is going to do,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that while Washington and Israel have “overlapping interests”, they do not have “identical interests”. Attempting to tie the two conflicts together, he warned, is “going to blow back in Iran’s face”.
- Analyst sees long road to a broader US-Iran agreement: Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said the MoU is likely to hold but warned that turning it into a broader agreement will be “very difficult” and “very ambitious” within the 60-day timeframe. Citing the technical complexity of the negotiations and the deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran, Vaez said both sides will likely remain in “MoU-land for a period of time” because “there is no better alternative”.
In the US:
- Trump frustrated with Israel: Signs of tension between Washington and Israel are growing as the Trump administration pushes for a “complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel”, while Israeli forces continue strikes and ground operations in Lebanon. Analysts say Lebanon remains the deal’s greatest vulnerability, with Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute arguing that Tehran is “not joking” about its demand for a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
- US to host new Israel-Lebanon peace talks next week: The Trump administration has announced a new round of talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington on June 23 and 25, aimed at advancing a “lasting peace”. The US has described direct negotiations as the only viable path to Lebanon’s reconstruction and economic recovery, though the process remains complicated by Hezbollah’s rejection of the talks and ongoing disagreements over calls for the group’s disarmament.
In Lebanon:
- Israeli strikes cast doubt on Lebanon ceasefire: Israeli attacks continued in southern Lebanon after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, raising questions about the truce’s viability. The deal, brokered by Qatar, the US and Iran, was meant to prevent the Lebanon conflict from undermining wider US-Iran peace efforts, but strikes continued almost immediately after the deadline despite both sides signalling support for the agreement.
