Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has declared that any agreement to end the US-Iran conflict hinges on an “absolute, unconditional” halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

In a series of posts on X and in a letter to Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem released on Sunday, Khamenei also reaffirmed Iran’s unwavering support for Hezbollah as a strategic policy.

Khamenei said Iran considers the defence of Lebanon’s resistance movement a “strategic mandate” and made clear that preserving Lebanon’s territorial integrity and ending Israeli aggression are Tehran’s foremost conditions for ending the war with the United States.

“In line with the policy set by the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic considers the defence of these oppressed yet powerful mujahideen to be its strategic mandate,” Khamenei wrote.

He praised Hezbollah for standing “like an unyielding rock” against what he called Israel’s “savage aggression”, describing the group’s resilience as an inspiration for nations resisting oppression.

Khamenei also paid tribute to former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, resistance commanders and the people of southern Lebanon, saying their sacrifices had strengthened the resistance movement and elevated Lebanon’s standing across the Islamic world.

Khamenei’s remarks come at a time when Tehran and Washington appear to be cautiously reviving diplomatic engagement after weeks of direct confrontation.

Despite the renewed contacts, Iran has maintained that no lasting agreement with the United States is possible unless Israel first halts its military campaign in Lebanon — a demand Tehran made the top condition in the memorandum of understanding it signed with Washington in June.

However, that agreement later collapsed amid disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.