Iran's foreign minister, chief negotiator and spokesperson all demand Lebanon be included in any ceasefire deal; Trump may drop Lebanon clause from revised MOU; Iranian president denies resignation rumors after publicly criticizing IRGC grip on government

Smoke rises over southern Lebanon following an Israeli airstrike on Sunday. [Reuters-Yonhap]
Smoke rises over southern Lebanon following an Israeli airstrike on Sunday. [Reuters-Yonhap]

Negotiations between the United States and Iran over a memorandum of understanding to end the war have hit a deadlock, with Tehran repeatedly insisting that a Lebanon truce be included as a core condition — even as reports suggest Washington may drop that clause from a revised draft. The standoff is deepening internal turmoil in Iran, where rumors have surfaced that President Masoud Pezeshkian, regarded as a proponent of negotiations, may be considering resignation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday on social media platform X that "it is clear that the ceasefire between Iran and the United States means a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon," adding that the United States and Israel would bear responsibility for the consequences of any violation.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of parliament and Iran's chief negotiator with the United States, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei both echoed that message the same day, each calling a Lebanon ceasefire "a fundamental condition" of any end-of-war negotiations. Analysts say the coordinated statements from Iran's top negotiating figures are almost certainly a response to a revised MOU draft that the Trump administration sent to Tehran.

The New York Times had earlier reported that Trump strengthened the terms of a tentative MOU agreement and sent a revised document to Iran. Speculation has since emerged that he removed the Lebanon ceasefire clause from the revision after Israel strongly objected to it. Israel has maintained that even if the United States and Iran reach a truce, Hezbollah must be eliminated in the current war.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, citing an anonymous source, said Iran would incorporate its own amendments into any agreement and was "fully prepared for the possibility that no deal is reached." Spokesperson Baghaei also said the negotiations were dragging on because "the United States keeps changing its position and sending mixed messages through the media." On the American side, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent raised the pressure in a Fox News interview, saying the mission would not be complete without the Strait of Hormuz remaining open, highly enriched uranium being secured, and Iran being barred from possessing nuclear weapons.

As the negotiating impasse drags on, internal power struggles in Iran are coming to the surface. According to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, President Pezeshkian told a cabinet meeting Sunday that "Iran's leadership must not consist solely of the leaders and officials of a small group" — remarks widely interpreted as a public rebuke of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hardliners who have consolidated power since the Iran-US war. Iran International, a London-based Iranian opposition outlet, reported that Pezeshkian had submitted a resignation letter to the office of the Supreme Leader, saying the IRGC had in effect taken over the government and left him unable to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities. The presidential office immediately denied the report, calling it "a media game intended to sabotage the negotiations."

Military clashes continued as well. US Central Command said it struck drone command-and-control facilities on Iran's Qeshm Island and in Goruk after Iran shot down an American drone over international waters. The IRGC said it carried out retaliatory strikes against US military bases in the Middle East. CNN reported that satellite imagery analysis confirmed 50 of 69 entrances to Iran's below-ground missile tunnels had been reopened.


psj@heraldcorp.com