New Delhi, June 16 -- A tentative agreement aimed at ending months of conflict between the United States and Iran has entered a critical phase after Tehran declared that any lasting peace must include a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The demand has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in ongoing negotiations and could determine whether the proposed deal survives or collapses before implementation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has repeatedly stated that Lebanon cannot be separated from the broader conflict and that Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon remains a direct obstacle to peace. According to Iranian officials, a ceasefire that excludes Lebanon would fail to address one of the key fr...