Hezbollah said on Tuesday it believes Iran will not conclude a final nuclear agreement with the United States unless Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon, as Tehran's top diplomat warned that Israel's continued military presence in Lebanese territory would constitute a violation of the recently agreed U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Hezbollah Links Israeli Withdrawal to Nuclear Talks

Israeli forces continue to occupy areas of southern Lebanon seized during a three-month air and ground campaign against Hezbollah, which began after the Iran-backed group launched attacks on Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran.

Although hostilities in Lebanon have eased significantly following the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, fighting has not completely ceased. Israel has said its troops will remain in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has repeatedly objected to Israel's continued presence in the area. In a statement on Tuesday, the group's media office said it understood that Iran would press for an Israeli withdrawal during the next round of U.S.-Iran negotiations, which are expected to begin after the two sides formally sign their memorandum of understanding on Friday.

The upcoming talks are expected to address contentious issues, including the future of Iran's nuclear program.

"We believe there will be no nuclear deal between Iran and the United States if Israel does not withdraw," Hezbollah's media office said, marking the first time the group has explicitly linked an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon to the prospects of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and Washington.

The group said an Israeli withdrawal would likely emerge as an outcome of the negotiations rather than a precondition for them. It added that it had received assurances from Iran that any Israeli violation of the ceasefire in Lebanon would affect the upcoming talks.

Iran Says Occupation of Lebanese Territory Must End

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that an end to the broader regional conflict must include an end to hostilities in Lebanon and "the end of the occupation" of Lebanese territory.

"Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they have occupied in this war, a full end to the war has not been achieved," Araghchi said.

He added that any Israeli attack on Lebanon or the continued occupation of Lebanese territory "will, in our view, be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding."

Lebanon Conflict Remains Tied to Wider Regional Diplomacy

The remarks underscore the extent to which developments in Lebanon remain intertwined with broader regional diplomacy, as Washington and Tehran prepare to launch a new phase of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and wider security issues in the Middle East.