Iran’s Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has accused Israel of trying to derail the newly signed 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington. He made the remarks during a televised interview after returning from a diplomatic visit to Switzerland.
Why Ghalibaf made the claim
Ghalibaf said his trip to Switzerland was aimed at implementing the provisions of the memorandum. However, he said developments in Lebanon delayed the process.
According to ISNA, Ghalibaf said in a television interview on Tuesday that arrangements had been planned for talks a week after the memorandum was signed.
“The trip to Switzerland was to implement these clauses. We decided to make the necessary arrangements for the talks a week after the memorandum of understanding was signed, but on the same Thursday that the memorandum of understanding was signed, events happened in Lebanon,” he said.
Iran says Israel opposes the memorandum
Ghalibaf claimed Israel strongly opposed the agreement because it called for an end to the conflict in Lebanon. He said the memorandum also required respect for Lebanon’s territorial sovereignty, the return of displaced people, and the withdrawal of forces from occupied areas.
“The reason for its opposition is that this agreement is truly a document of defeat for America and the Zionist regime. The Zionist regime’s entire effort was to disrupt this agreement as much as it could, because the first paragraph of this agreement stipulates that the war should end based on Lebanon’s territorial sovereignty within the official borders and geographical map of this country, that no military operations should be carried out, that the people should return to their homes, and that the enemy should withdraw from the lands it occupied,” he said.
Iran alleges Israel intensified military actions
Ghalibaf further alleged that Israel increased military operations after the memorandum was signed to make its implementation more difficult.
“For this reason, on Thursday and Friday, the Zionist regime intensified its crimes because it knew it had to evacuate these areas, and tried to destroy some important points, take them over, and cause damage to somehow make the implementation of the agreement difficult,” he said.
Iran’s position on security in Lebanon
The Iranian Parliament Speaker said the memorandum places responsibility for maintaining security inside Lebanon on the Lebanese government.
“The agreement between Iran and the United States is that the implementation of affairs and ensuring security inside Lebanon is the responsibility of the Lebanese government and sovereignty. It should be noted that we are in a battle with the Zionist regime,” he said.
Ghalibaf also claimed there were differences within the US administration regarding the implementation of the memorandum. He referred to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance while discussing these differences.
“This difference also exists within the United States itself; Rubio follows one way, and Vance follows another. What actions did Rubio take on the Persian Gulf coast in Bahrain on Thursday? All of them were against the actions of the memorandum of understanding and the Persian Gulf countries, and again he was sensitive and against the Strait. They are our enemy, we have a memorandum of understanding, and we are standing firm,” he said.
Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon
Meanwhile, according to TPS, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the security zone in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. During the visit, he said Israeli forces would remain there until security threats were removed.
Netanyahu told soldiers, “as long as Hezbollah, armed, is here, threatening us–we are staying here,” and, “we are not leaving southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated.”
He praised the troops for their efforts and highlighted Israel’s strategy of maintaining security zones beyond its borders.
Netanyahu told the soldiers that they have “done tremendous work” in Lebanon, and “the main thing we did–and this is what you are doing here–is creating buffer zones, security zones, not on our side of the border–on their side. So we are doing this in Lebanon. We did this in Gaza.”
“These security zones–this is a conceptual change,” he added. “It means that we do not allow a terrorist army to sit on our border. And we push them away–this is what you are doing.”
