Iranian MP: Lebanon integral to any agreement with US

In an interview with CNN, Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi, a member of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, addressed the possibility of an agreement between Iran and the United States. Asked about US President Donald Trump's claim that an agreement is within reach, Azizi said, "We don't think that he is honest." He stated that Iran accepts negotiation as a continuation of the battlefield and considers it part of the battle. However, he added that Iran would have no problem negotiating if it could be convinced of sincerity from the Americans, especially the US president, and if Iran could reach confidence that they adhere to the rules of negotiation.

Azizi noted that Iran does not see a "serious will" from the US side to reach a framework that could actually be implemented. He cited Iran's blocked assets as "a very clear and prominent example" of this lack of will. Regarding enriched uranium and nuclear issues, he said, "We are not currently negotiating on those matters. There is no discussion of them because it is not intended that we should have negotiations on those issues at this stage."

When asked whether a peace agreement between the United States and Iran is possible, Azizi responded, "It depends on the behaviors that we observe from the other side. If these same behaviors continue, then no, we do not have any trust at all. With this lack of trust, it is not possible for negotiations to continue, and naturally, when there is no possibility of continuing, there is no result either." He added that if the conditions specified by Iran are fulfilled—particularly regarding the country's national interests in the economic sphere, financial matters, banking sanctions, and the issue of Lebanon—then progress could be made. "We will by no means back down on the issue of the resistance front, its members, and especially Lebanon," he said.

The interview comes amid heightened tensions following the US and Israeli war of aggression against Iran on February 28, which included the assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and strikes on nuclear facilities, schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure. Iran's Armed Forces responded with at least 100 waves of retaliatory strikes under Operation True Promise 4 across West Asia and Israeli positions. A fragile Pakistan-brokered ceasefire has been in place since early April, but a US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. Tehran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the blockade is lifted and the war permanently ends.

According to Mehr News Agency, Azizi's remarks underscore Iran's position that any agreement must address its core concerns, including the lifting of sanctions and the status of Lebanon and the resistance front.