Tehran Hails Swiss Talks, Says Iran Has a Role in Lebanon Security Deal

An Iranian news agency close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards claimed on Monday that the talks in Switzerland ended with Iran becoming part of Lebanon’s security framework, against the wishes of the United States and Israel. The agency said Tehran also secured mechanisms to implement the first clause of the Lebanese understanding. The Iranian delegation reportedly left after the negotiations concluded.

According to Lebanon’s presidential office, President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, adviser Jared Kushner, and Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The call focused on stabilizing the ceasefire in Lebanon, stopping the Israeli military escalation, and possible steps to advance those goals, including the creation of a special body.

The reported arrangement would establish a new “deconfliction cell” in Lebanon, different from the monitoring mechanism created under the ceasefire agreement at the end of 2024. That earlier structure, set up in the final months of President Joe Biden’s term, was a military mechanism involving the United States, France, Lebanon, UNIFIL and Israel, with freedom of action against Hezbollah violations.

Under the June 2026 understandings, the new body would be a political mechanism including the United States, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar and Iran. Israel would not be part of it. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the “relentless mediation” of Pakistan and Qatar had produced “significant progress” toward ending the war in Lebanon, adding that exemptions on oil and petrochemical exports were granted, the blockade was lifted, some frozen assets were released, and a major recovery and economic development plan for Iran was launched. He said the first real test would be the deconfliction cell in Lebanon.