TEHRAN: The Islamic Republic will continue funding and supporting its network of proxies, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi promised in a message sent to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem, the regime official confirmed on Telegram.
Naming Hezbollah explicitly, Araghchi promised the regime “will not abandon support for movements seeking rights and freedom until the very last moment.”
He added that a ceasefire in Lebanon was a key term in any potential ceasefire deal with Washington, though the war against Hezbollah is being fought by Israel and not the US.
Maj. (res.) Alexander Grinberg, an expert on Iran from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, explained to The Jerusalem Post that for Tehran, abandoning proxies at this junction would be “political suicide,” and that ending its support would signal to both its allies and enemies that it is significantly weakened.
While he said Iran would always “try” to support its proxies, the depth of its support has changed and will change based on its own abilities. He said the regime was no longer able to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah through Syria and must now rely on crypto-payments as a means of financial support. This support, he said, would continue for as long as possible despite Tehran’s economic struggles.
Lebanon becomes sticking point in US-Iran deal talks
Araghchi’s promise to Hezbollah comes in tandem with US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Saturday that a deal had been “largely negotiated,” though US officials speaking to Axios suggested that issues surrounding nuclear disarmament were still being discussed.
Hezbollah violated an existing ceasefire between Israel and the terror group in response to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The decision to drag Lebanon into another war, as it did on October 8, 2023, has led to a new array of domestic legislation aimed at demilitarizing the terrorist organization, motivated in part by the large-scale displacement brought on by the conflict.
While Iran may push to see Lebanon included in a potential agreement, Israeli officials have commented that Washington cannot make such a deal on behalf of Jerusalem, noting that civilians living in northern Israel will be left paying the price for such an arrangement.
MK Benny Gantz, addressing the reports of Lebanon being an Iranian condition in a ceasefire deal, commented that “Israel has an obligation to protect its residents regardless of any external factor” and such an agreement would be “a strategic mistake that we will pay for for years to come.”
He urged, “Israel needs to say to the US: ‘No.’”
KAN also reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned about the inclusion of Lebanon in an agreement with Tehran. A political source told the public broadcaster that Netanyahu communicated to Trump that “Israel will maintain freedom of action against threats in all arenas, including Lebanon.”
While Netanyahu may have communicated Israel’s intentions to continue securing its northern border by ensuring Hezbollah cannot rebuild past the Litani River, a US official indicated to Axios that Trump may still be willing to include Lebanon in the agreement.
“Bibi has his domestic considerations, but Trump has the interests of the US and the global economy to think about,” the US official commented.
