Trump Official Says Israel’s Lebanon Pullout Is Not a شرط in Iran Deal

A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon is not a condition in the agreement that is about to be signed with Iran. He added that if Hezbollah attacks Israel, Israel would have the right to strike back.

The official said the administration’s top priority in the deal is making sure Iran does not restart its nuclear program. After that, he said, the other priorities are preventing Iranian support for terrorist organizations and addressing the regime’s domestic behavior.

Earlier Monday, a senior White House official said the United States and Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding, but that only the next two to three weeks would show whether it would become a real agreement. He said the principles would be published within 48 hours, and technical talks on them would follow later in the week.

Those principles include sanctions relief, the release of funds, and the creation of a $300 billion fund. The official said, “Everything will depend on Iran’s performance and its response.” Trump also wrote on his social media platform Monday that the maritime blockade on the Strait of Hormuz had been lifted as part of the deal, and that “tankers are allowed to move through the Strait of Hormuz, many of them carrying oil.”