Israel rebuffs US-Iran ceasefire framework, rejects Lebanon withdrawal as Iran demands UN endorsement

The framework deal

A preliminary peace framework between the United States and Iran was announced on Sunday, 14 June, with a signing expected this Friday. The agreement, brokered after weeks of Pakistani mediation, extends the April ceasefire by another 60 days, during which the two sides will negotiate details of Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of American sanctions. The Strait of Hormuz is to reopen, while Washington lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.

We expect that the final agreement will be backed by a UN Security Council resolution, 60 days after its signing.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman also said the US has pledged to unfreeze Iranian assets held abroad and to pay compensation for war damage. He drew a distinction on the strait’s fees, insisting Iran will collect "shipping service fees" for environmental protection and vessel safety, not transit tolls.

Iran’s demands and deep mistrust

Tehran is pushing for an international guarantee. Baghaei stressed that the US must ensure Israel halts its war in Lebanon. He described a "long history of mistakes by American leaders" and said trust would require much more than a single deal.

Unfortunately we must recognise that the deep distrust of the US is the consequence of a long history of errors by American leaders. Much still needs to be done before they earn the trust of Iranians.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told counterparts in Egypt, Iraq and Turkey that Israeli attacks on Lebanon must stop completely and that Washington bears responsibility for implementing the framework.

Israel’s fierce rejection

Israeli ministers reacted sharply. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the state of Israel must not accept the ceasefire between the US and Iran and that Israel is not a partner to an agreement that does not guarantee its security. He demanded that the IDF continue demolishing houses, eliminating Hezbollah militants and that no territory be returned.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the deal a bad agreement for Israel and the entire free world. He argued that Iran must never become a nuclear-threshold state and that Israel would continue using all tools to topple the ayatollah regime.

We should never allow Iran to have nuclear weapons and we must not accept a reality in which the extremist regime in Tehran continues to advance toward that goal.

Defence Minister Israel Katz made Israel’s stance operational: the IDF will remain in security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza without time limit. He noted that this policy, rooted in the lesson of 7 October, had been made clear to President Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

If Iran attacks Israel over Lebanon we will respond.

Netanyahu’s private message to Trump

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump that Israel does not consider itself bound by the "Lebanese clause" of the agreement. The prime minister reportedly said the IDF would stay in its current positions, continue dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and would not tolerate any Iranian influence in Lebanon. The cabinet gave full support to that stance, according to the reports.

Missing Israeli war aims

The framework falls far short of the goals Israel set at the outset of the conflicts. Netanyahu had spoken of eliminating existential threats: removing Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and creating conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow the regime. Those objectives are absent from the preliminary understanding. Israeli media described the overall mood with the headline "Bad Deal".