Lebanon Part Of Iran-US Truce Deal: Pakistani Ambassador To Washington.

Islamabad/Washington DC; April 2026: Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, Pakistani ambassador to Washington has stressed that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire agreement reached through his country’s mediation between Iran and the United States.

Rizwan Saeed Sheikh made the remarks today early morning (IST), hours after Israel waged its largest military attack against Lebanon in recent weeks, killing at least 254 people and wounding 1,165 others. The criminal assault violated the US-Iran truce deal that also called for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.

He said that the ceasefire agreement announced by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which included Lebanon, “could not have been more authentic” to what the two parties agreed to, and that it was still the premier’s understanding that Lebanon was included. He has further added that the Israeli strike on Lebanon was another instance in which a ceasefire “could be disrupted” by Israel’s actions.

“There have been instances in the past where ceasefires have been disrupted”, he noted, referring to Israel’s routine violations of its previous ceasefire with Lebanon and the current one that ended the regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. The United States and Israel launched their illegal act of aggression against Iran on February 28. They assassinated Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and struck nuclear sites, schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure.

Iran’s decisive Operation True Promise 4 was launched in retaliation, with hundreds of missiles and drones pounding targets in the Israeli‑occupied territories as well as US military bases and assets across the region. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) announced on Wednesday (08th April 2026) an agreement to a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire after the US accepted Iran’s 10-point proposal, potentially followed by negotiations to effectively end the war.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have announced that “Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY”. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the truce “does not include Lebanon”. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also backed the Israeli position, contradicting statements by Iran and Pakistan.

Janet Abou-Elias, a researcher with the Democratising Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said that Israel was largely sidelined from the Iran-US ceasefire talks that culminated in an agreement viewed as “catastrophic” by the regime. “What we’ve seen since looks like Israel acting to undermine a diplomatic process over which it had lost influence”, she said while being interviewed by Press Reporters.

The researcher further emphasised that Israel’s attack on Lebanon “appeared to be a direct attempt to blow up the ceasefire, and it worked. At this point, any durable end to this conflict, even a temporary one, requires Washington to rein in Israel”, Abou-Elias said. “US President Donald Trump has the leverage to do it. What’s unclear is whether he has the political will to use it”.

Iranian President Pezeshkian has called the ceasefire in Lebanon to be a key condition in Iran’s 10-point ceasefire proposal. President Pezeshkian was speaking with his French counterpart Emanuel Macron over telephone. During the call, Pezeshkian stressed the need for cessation of aggression towards Lebanon, identifying the imperative as “one of the central conditions of Iran’s proposal”. He also said France had an important role to play at the current stage, noting that Paris had previously been among the parties guaranteeing the ceasefire that was reached between the Israeli regime and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in 2024.

Pezeshkian said Iran remained committed to promoting peace, stability, and security across the region. He said the Islamic Republic’s acceptance of the ceasefire had shown both “its sense of responsibility” and “it’s serious will to resolve disputes through diplomacy”.

The Iranian president criticized European countries for their failure to take a firm and explicit position over the atrocities committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran. He called on Europe to play a “responsible and effective role” in supporting lasting regional stability and security. Pezeshkian have also urged European countries to pressure the aggressors to “abide by their commitments” and prevent any breaches.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Pezeshkian said the insecurity affecting the Strait of Hormuz was “the direct result of the military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran”. He also said the Islamic Republic had acted responsibly for many years in ensuring the safe passage of vessels through the strategic waterway, while preserving its own national interests and security.

Following the launch of the American-Israeli aggression, Iran shut the waterway to adversaries and their allies. The Islamic Republic has conditioned reopening of the strait to cessation of the unprovoked atrocities that have been targeting the country and the broader region since their onset.

For his part, Macron considered the announcement of a ceasefire to be “an important step towards fully ending the war and establishing lasting peace in the region”. He further stressed the need to halt violence in Lebanon and said Paris was ready to cooperate in international efforts aimed at promoting peace and security in the Persian Gulf region. The French head of state, meanwhile, thanked Iran for its move to release two French citizens, apprehended for espionage inside the Islamic Republic.

Suvro Sanyal – Team Maverick.