The clock is ticking on the Iran peace deal. A memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US is due to be signed in Geneva on June 19, allowing for a 60-day ceasefire extension and the opening of the strategically vital waterway, the Strait of Hormuz. But key questions remain unresolved that could yet scupper the agreement.

For Washington and Tehran, the memorandum also includes Lebanon. Iran has made the signing of the deal contingent on an Israeli undertaking to withdraw from the territories it has occupied in southern Lebanon during the war. And the US president, Donald Trump, has demanded that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, behave “more responsibly in Lebanon”.

But Israel’s bombing of south Lebanon and Beirut continues, the Israeli military presence in Lebanon remains and Israel’s leaders remain adamant they will not withdraw. So where does Israel feature in this deal and how will it respond?

The terms of the deal remain confidential, and will only be revealed after the signing has taken place. But reports suggest that the US will be responsible for constraining Israeli military activity in Lebanon. Iran, meanwhile, appears to see the two states as one adversary in this war.

Over the past year, questions about the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu have regularly been asked, highlighting the divergent approaches to Iran and the broader security environment of the Middle East taken by........

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