Iran's Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has accused Israel of attempting to sabotage a new US-Iran peace memorandum regarding Lebanon, calling Israel's recent military escalations a 'panicked reaction' to the agreement's terms.
In a fiery televised address following his diplomatic mission to Switzerland, Iran's Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, claimed that Israel is desperately trying to destroy the newly signed 14-point Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington. Ghalibaf framed the bilateral peace framework as a major strategic setback for Western allies, asserting that Israel's recent military escalations in Lebanon were a direct, panicked reaction to the terms of the accord.
Israel's 'Panicked Reaction' to MoU
According to ISNA, Ghalibaf said in a television interview on Tuesday that his visit to Switzerland was aimed at implementing the provisions of the memorandum, but developments in Lebanon delayed the process. "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.
Claiming that Israel opposed the agreement, Ghalibaf said the memorandum required an end to the war in Lebanon, the restoration of the country's territorial sovereignty, the return of displaced residents 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.
Ghalibaf further alleged that Israel intensified its military operations after the memorandum was signed in an attempt to complicate its implementation. "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.
Details of the Accord and US Divisions
The Iranian Parliament Speaker said the memorandum assigns responsibility for maintaining security inside Lebanon to the Lebanese government while reiterating Iran's position toward Israel. "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 over the implementation of the memorandum, referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. "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 Vows to Maintain Lebanon Security Zone
Meanwhile, as per TPS, Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday visited the security zone in southern Lebanon where he declared, "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."
Netanyahu told the soldiers there 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." (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)