TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament speaker said on Thursday that Lebanon was a key part of the two-week ceasefire with the United States, warning that violations would bring severe consequences, following massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
“Lebanon and the entire Resistance Axis, as Iran’s allies, form an inseparable part of the ceasefire,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X.
Ghalibaf cautioned against violations of the truce, a day after Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people.
“Ceasefire violations carry explicit costs and STRONG responses,” he said.
Since the ceasefire was agreed, Tehran and Washington have given competing messages on whether Lebanon is included, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his country will strike Lebanese armed group Hezbollah “wherever necessary.”
On Wednesday evening, US Vice President JD Vance referred to a “legitimate misunderstanding.”
“I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise,” he said after a visit to Hungary.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
Iranian officials however insist on the inclusion of Lebanon, pointing to a statement from mediator Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif when the truce was announced.
“I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,” Sharif wrote in a message posted to X on Tuesday night.
On Thursday, Ghalibaf said the Pakistani leader had “publicly and clearly stressed the Lebanon issue.”
“There is no room for denial or backtracking,” he added.
