Vance says U.S. "never indicated" Lebanon would be included in ceasefire deal

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of violating multiple provisions of a ceasefire agreement during a parliamentary address in Tehran on Monday, citing ongoing military exchanges along the Israel-Lebanon border as evidence of the breach. The accusation centers on the claim that U.S. diplomatic efforts have failed to secure a comprehensive halt to hostilities that includes Lebanon, a key Hezbollah stronghold and Iranian ally in the region. Ghalibaf's specific allegation is that the U.S. has contravened three distinct parts of an unspecified ceasefire framework, though he did not publicly detail the exact clauses. The context for this statement is the simmering conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has engaged in near-daily cross-border strikes since the outbreak of the Gaza war. From Tehran's perspective, any durable ceasefire must encompass all active fronts involving its allied 'Axis of Resistance' groups, making the Lebanon-Israel border a critical component. The Iranian speaker's remarks highlight a significant point of contention in regional diplomacy. While the U.S. and international mediators have primarily focused on brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, parallel efforts to calm the Lebanon-Israel front have been less definitive. Ghalibaf's statement implicitly criticizes what Iran sees as a selective or incomplete U.S. approach to peacemaking, suggesting Washington is not holding its ally Israel fully accountable for hostilities beyond Gaza. This public accusation serves to bolster Iran's narrative of U.S. unreliability in negotiations and to maintain pressure for a wider regional settlement that benefits its allies. Ultimately, the exchange underscores the interconnected nature of Middle Eastern conflicts and the challenges of achieving isolated ceasefires. Iran, as a principal backer of Hezbollah, uses such diplomatic critiques to assert its influence and shape the terms of any potential de-escalation, ensuring its proxy forces are not left vulnerable or excluded from agreements that affect their strategic posture.