In a statement on Sunday evening, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said that Iran backs Hezbollah’s self-described mandate to defend Lebanon and its efforts to seek an unconditional end to the Israeli presence in the country, as the Lebanese group comes under increasing pressure to disarm.

What happened: Khamenei wrote a letter to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem pledging to maintain Iran’s support for the group amid the conflict in the region. Khamenei wrote that “the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the defense of these oppressed yet powerful mujahideen to be its strategic mandate" — a reference to Hezbollah's platform, which frames its actions as being in defense of oppressed people. 

Khamenei addressed Israeli strikes against Lebanon and the US-backed deal to end the war in the country, saying Iran will not back any agreement that does not stop the attacks. 

“It [Iran] has designated the preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression as the primary condition for any agreement ending the imposed war against the aggressive United States,” he said. 

Khamenei, who succeeded his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in March, has yet to appear in public since assuming his position, only communicating to the public via written statements. Khamenei was reportedly injured in the late February strike that killed his father at the start of the US-Israel-Iran war. 

Why it matters: Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-backed proposal in June whereby Israel will withdraw from southern Lebanon in stages, and the Lebanese army will move into the areas after Hezbollah’s disarmament there. The establishment of the so-called pilot zones where the Lebanese army will assume control kicked off last week during Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s trip to the United States. Aoun discussed the plan with US President Donald Trump during the visit. 

Hezbollah has rejected the deal, saying it will not discuss disarmament until Israel’s presence in and strikes against Lebanon cease. Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of the Iran-backed group’s parliament bloc, said on Monday that Beirut should push for an Israeli withdrawal “without any conditions.” 

“You will not be able to disarm us, and these weapons will not belong to anyone else,” he said, Hezbollah news outlet Al-Manar reported. 

Aoun has repeatedly defended the decision to negotiate with Israel while criticizing the neighboring state’s conduct in Lebanon. He told United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Monday that “Israel’s continued destruction of homes and demolition of villages in the areas it occupies in the south constitutes a direct violation of human rights,” the official National News Agency reported. 

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has calmed down since the June deal, though Lebanon is still reporting Israeli military action in parts of the south. The agency reported that Israel shelled targets outside of Tallouseh and Markaba and dropped a stun grenade over Tyre on Monday. The Israeli military has not commented on either incident. 

Early last month, Aoun told Iran not to “interfere” in Lebanon. 

Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon in 2024 after Hezbollah fired rockets at the country during the Gaza war. 

Know more: Khamenei’s comments come as Iran rejected new direct talks with the United States after a pause in fighting. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Monday that Iran had not requested new talks, saying “no negotiations” are taking place at present. 

The US paused its strikes against Iran on Friday after nearly two weeks of fighting over the Strait of Hormuz. 

The wider conflict is heating up on other fronts, and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced another wave of strikes targeting Saudi oil sites on Monday. Saudi Arabia said that it intercepted drones fired from Iraq at oil facilities in the east and the capital, Riyadh. A number of pro-Iran militias operate in Iraq. 

Iran has repeatedly called for Lebanon to be included in any ceasefire deal with the United States. 

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