According to CCTV International News, Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iran's parliament, stated that a ceasefire in Lebanon is a red line for Iran, and Tehran will not compromise on this issue. Rezaei added that Iran does not trust the United States and is preparing for both scenarios.
According to Al-Manar TV, a media outlet affiliated with Lebanon's Hezbollah, as reported by Xinhua News Agency on the 20th, Israel shelled and conducted airstrikes on the town of Habush in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon and carried out an airstrike on a nearby town.
Iran: Preparing for Both Scenarios
On June 20 Beijing time, according to CCTV International News, Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, stated in an exclusive interview with China Media Group that the ceasefire issue in Lebanon is a red line for Iran, and Tehran will not yield on this matter. Regarding Iran-U.S. relations, Rezaei said Iran does not trust the United States and will not normalize relations with it.
Rezaei emphasized that Iran and the U.S. are currently in a state of hostility and that Iran is preparing for the possibility of another war. 'We do not believe what Americans say; we act based on our own considerations,' he stated, adding that Iran is also pursuing negotiation and diplomacy and will continue talks with the United States.
According to CCTV News, the Iran-U.S. talks originally scheduled for the 19th in Switzerland did not take place as planned. Iranian officials stated, 'Plans for holding negotiations in the coming days are under discussion.' The mediating party, Pakistan, indicated that talks would resume after the end of the Islamic month of Muharram.
On the same day that the Iran-U.S. talks were postponed, multiple sources reported a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, the Israeli military gave an ambiguous response, stating that its frontline forces 'retain freedom of action.'
On the 19th, an IDF spokesperson issued a statement saying that Israel would continue to respond to any Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement. The spokesperson accused Hezbollah of repeatedly violating the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement over recent weeks, stating, 'Israel cannot accept this reality,' which is precisely why Israeli forces continue operations in southern Lebanon.
On the 19th local time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei strongly condemned Israel's aggressive and terrorist actions against various regions of Lebanon. He also warned that if Israel continues its aggression, it will have serious and imminent consequences for regional peace and security.
Baghaei stated that the United States bears direct responsibility in the current situation and referred to the Iran-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding, which explicitly stipulates that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an inseparable component of the 'comprehensive cessation of hostilities across all fronts.'
That evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, during a phone call with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, stated that the United States has an obligation and responsibility to end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and must be held accountable for any violation of the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding.
According to the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both parties should promptly initiate 60 days of negotiations following the signing of the MoU, primarily aimed at resolving the Iranian nuclear issue and lifting sanctions against Iran.
Qin Tian, Deputy Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, believes that subsequent U.S.-Iran negotiations are closely tied to the implementation of the MoU. If initial implementation proves inadequate, subsequent negotiations will inevitably encounter difficulties. The next phase of talks between the U.S. and Iran on the nuclear issue involves significant technical complexity and will require additional preparation time. Moreover, lifting sanctions on Iran is not a simple matter that can be resolved overnight; it will demand extensive discussions and careful design.
The Pentagon may need USD 80 billion to cover the costs of military operations against Iran.
According to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. media reported on the 18th, citing informed sources, that the U.S. Department of Defense has requested Congress allocate USD 80 billion to offset the costs of military operations against Iran and other related expenses.
The Wall Street Journal reported the same day, citing several anonymous U.S. lawmakers, that Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg informed them of this figure during a phone call this week. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Hegseth met this week with senior Republican senators in Congress to discuss additional defense appropriations.
U.S. Department of Defense officials stated that without additional appropriations, funding for U.S. military operations could run out by this summer.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran at the end of February. On March 19, President Trump confirmed that the Department of Defense had requested an additional budget appropriation of approximately USD 200 billion from Congress to support military operations against Iran. However, this request was immediately met with strong opposition from some members of Congress.
According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the administration to provide specific figures regarding the cost of military operations against Iran. With the recent remote signing of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, the total expenditure on these operations has once again become a focal point of debate in Congress.
A Pentagon official told Reuters in April that the U.S. had already spent approximately USD 25 billion on military operations against Iran. According to Reuters, this marked the first time the U.S. government publicly assessed the cost of these operations. In early April, U.S. think tank experts estimated that U.S. military actions against Iran were costing USD 500 million per day.