People, including children, walk along a road as they flee Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on the area, June 1, 2026. (Credit: Mohamad Azakir/Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday that a cease-fire in Lebanon remains a key condition for any agreement with the United States to end the regional war.
"We insist that a cease-fire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said during a weekly news conference, as Israel expands its offensive in Lebanon.
His remarks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon and the U.N. Security Council prepared to hold an emergency meeting following Israel's capture of the medieval Beaufort Castle.
Baqaei said Iran "will take all measures to support Lebanon and the resistance against the Zionist regime's illegal aggression."
Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, meanwhile, said the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and the escalation in Lebanon were "clear evidence of U.S. non-compliance with the ceasefire."
"Every choice has a price and the bill comes due," Ghalibaf wrote on X.
The comments came as Tehran and Washington continued exchanging messages in an effort to finalize a framework agreement aimed at ending the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
A fragile cease-fire between Iran, the United States and Israel has been in place since April 8, but hostilities have continued in Lebanon despite Tehran's insistence that the country be included in the truce.
Baqaei also accused the United States of violating the ceasefire following overnight U.S. strikes on a telecommunications tower in southern Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it responded by targeting the U.S. base from which the attack was launched, without identifying its location.
"Iran will take whatever measures we deem necessary to defend its national security," Baqaei said.
He added that Iran is not seeking concessions in its exchanges with Washington, but rather recognition of its rights, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad under U.S. sanctions.
Baqaei also said Iran's nuclear program, a major point of contention with Washington, has not yet been discussed in detail.
"No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war," he said.
While exchanges with the United States are continuing, "we have not yet reached a final conclusion," he added.
"We will decide on the arrangements for signing at the appropriate time."
