Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Tehran and Washington cannot reach any agreement unless Israel stops its attacks on Lebanon. In a post on X on July 27, he said Iran had set protection of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the complete, unconditional end of what he called the Zionist regime’s aggression as key conditions for any deal aimed at ending a US-imposed war.

In multiple posts, Khamenei voiced support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, its former leader Hassan Nasrallah, and people in southern Lebanon, described as the main targets of Israeli attacks. He said the Islamic Republic of Iran considers protecting the “oppressed but strong mujahideen,” referring to Hezbollah fighters, a strategic responsibility.

His remarks came amid reports of moves to halt exchanges of attacks between Iran and the United States and resume diplomatic activity. Tehran has repeatedly said Israel must end attacks in Lebanon as a condition for ending the war between Iran and the United States. Iran included that demand in the first clause of a memorandum of understanding signed with Washington in June, but the arrangement later collapsed over disagreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz.