Iran Ready for US Deal If Israel Stops Lebanon Attacks
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- Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran's deputy foreign minister, told Al Jazeera Arabic on Friday that Iran is "ready to move forward step by step" if the US shows equal seriousness and ensures Israel halts attacks on Lebanon — a condition rooted in Article 1 of this week's MoU, which names ending Lebanon's war as integral to the broader ceasefire.
- US-Iran talks scheduled for Friday in Burgenstock, Switzerland were called off and Vice President JD Vance cancelled his planned trip after intense Israel-Hezbollah fighting in southern Lebanon killed at least 47 people since midnight, per Lebanon's health ministry.
- Mediator-backed diplomacy continues: Pakistan and Qatar had arranged the Burgenstock meeting, and Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Friday that "necessary consultations" are being carried out through intermediaries, with an official announcement to follow if conditions are met.
- Khatibzadeh tied any future deal to release of all frozen Iranian funds and said the Strait of Hormuz will continue Iranian-managed navigation in coordination with Oman under international law, with no passage fees during the 60-day MoU period and a new waterway management mechanism to be presented to regional countries afterward.
- Hezbollah told Al Jazeera the ceasefire holds if Israel abides by it, while Israel's ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter posted on X that Israel "remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire" and would respond with quiet if Hezbollah halts hostilities.
Why it matters: Iran's stated readiness is hostage to Israeli compliance in Lebanon, and Friday's cancelled talks prove the MoU's promises only hold if the Israel-Lebanon front holds. Iran's 60-day Hormuz fee-free window simultaneously positions Tehran to install a new waterway management scheme afterward — with frozen-funds release as Tehran's enforcement lever.
