Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Lebanon’s sovereignty over its entire territory “must be fully restored,” linking the outcome of regional negotiations to broader political and security developments in the Middle East.
His remarks on Monday came as the United States and Iran continue discussions aimed at addressing unresolved provisions in a regional understanding, including arrangements related to the cessation of hostilities on multiple fronts.
Ghalibaf stressed that diplomacy is essential to consolidating any gains achieved on the battlefield, arguing that military outcomes alone cannot produce lasting political results.
“Every military success, no matter how great or decisive, shows its real impact only when it is legally and politically recorded and consolidated,” he said in comments carried by Iran’s IRIB.
Diplomacy as extension of conflict
Ghalibaf described negotiations not as separate from conflict, but as a continuation of it through political means, insisting that diplomacy is required to complete what military action cannot fully achieve.
“When conditions are created on the battlefield, it is diplomacy that must play its role by completing through political means what cannot be fully achieved militarily,” he said.
He also rejected the idea of a contradiction between diplomacy and force, saying both function as complementary tools in shaping outcomes.
Lebanon at the centre of regional talks
The Iranian official said he hopes ongoing negotiations will help secure Lebanon’s full sovereignty, as regional discussions continue under international mediation.
Lebanon remains deeply affected by months of conflict, with more than 4,000 people killed and over one million displaced since fighting escalated earlier this year, according to local authorities.
The situation has also left parts of southern Lebanon under continued military pressure amid fragile ceasefire conditions.
