Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, was "the most important" issue in the peace deal with the United States announced the day before.
"The important point I want to emphasize here is that in our view, there are two parties to this memorandum -- one side is America and Israel, and the other side is Iran and Hezbollah," said Araghchi during a briefing with foreign diplomats broadcast on state television.
"This is perhaps the most important issue in the memorandum -- the declaration of an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon," he said, adding that "ending the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of the complete end of the war".
His remarks came one day after Tehran and Washington announced a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict, which broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran and engulfed the Middle East.
Lebanon was pulled into the war in early March when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.
Israel responded with a massive campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say has killed more than 3,800 people.
Araghchi said an end to the war would not be complete "without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories it occupied in this war".
"Any military attack by the Zionist regime on Lebanon from now on and the continued occupation of Lebanese territories from now on will be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding in our view," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country's forces will remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza "as long as necessary".
Following the deal announcement on Monday, Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli forces trying to advance in southern Lebanon.
The deal between Iran and the United States is expected to be signed on Friday in Switzerland.
On Monday, Araghchi said the official signing "will take place soon" and that talks with the United States on a final agreement covering Iran's nuclear program will begin after the signing.
"Likely on Friday, at a location to be determined... a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States to reach a final agreement will begin," Araghchi said.
"In the final agreement, decisions will be made on the nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions," he added.
- Hezbollah thanks Iran -
Hezbollah's chief on Tuesday thanked Iran's top negotiator for helping stop the "Israeli-American aggression" on Lebanon.
In a message to Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Hezbollah's Naim Qassem expressed "profound gratitude" for Iran's efforts "to compel the Israeli entity to an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts including in Lebanon".
"You have transformed the only effective glimmer of hope in ending the Israeli-American aggression on Lebanon into a reality that has proved to the world that Iran is the champion of truth and the resistance," he said, according to the message published by Hezbollah.
"We have always said that Iran has given Hezbollah, the resistance and the Lebanese people everything, and has taken nothing in return. It has supported us in our choices and strengthened us to liberate our land," he added.
Qassem is due to make a televised address on Wednesday.
