Iran has told mediators that any ceasefire agreement with the US and Israel must also cover Lebanon, linking an end to the war to a halt in Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, according to six regional sources familiar with Tehran’s position.
Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV quoted an Iranian official as saying Tehran wanted any agreement with Washington to secure a cessation of hostilities not only against Iran but also against other “resistance groups” in the region.
A senior Iranian official also said Tehran was still reviewing a US proposal aimed at ending the nearly month-long conflict, suggesting the plan had not yet been rejected outright.
Sources said Iran had informed intermediaries as early as mid March that it was seeking a broader arrangement that would also end Israeli military operations against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, established in 1982 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, entered the conflict on March 2 by opening fire on Israel in support of Tehran. Israel responded with an extensive air and ground campaign in Lebanon.
There was no immediate comment from Iran’s foreign ministry, Israel’s foreign ministry or the Israeli military on the reported position.
A senior Trump administration official said ending Iran’s “proxy activities” and disarming Hezbollah were “crucial to ensuring peace and stability in Lebanon and across the region.”
One regional source told Reuters that Hezbollah had received “Iranian guarantees” that it would be included in any wider ceasefire framework.
“Iran is prioritizing Lebanon – it will not accept Israeli violations in Lebanon like what happened after the 2024 ceasefire,” the source said, referring to Israel’s continued strikes despite a truce that ended the previous Hezbollah Israel war.
The issue comes at a sensitive time in Lebanon’s domestic politics, where Hezbollah’s decision to join the conflict has intensified divisions among sectarian factions. The group’s influence has declined since heavy losses in the 2024 war and the emergence of a new Lebanese government demanding that it disarm and halt its military activities.
Lebanon’s foreign ministry this week declared the appointed Iranian ambassador persona non grata, a move condemned by Hezbollah and other prominent Shiite figures who insisted the envoy should remain.
A foreign official in Beirut familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking said the group hopes an Iran-backed truce could help it strengthen its political standing in the country.
Israel’s foreign ministry has said that “Israel has not conducted and does not conduct negotiations with the Iranian terror regime.”
However, a source briefed on Israeli military planning said strikes against Hezbollah were likely to continue even if the air war with Iran ends, describing the two theatres as separate.
Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over a million residents.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
