The future of Hezbollah in Lebanon is a core issue in the US-Iran negotiations.
This became explicitly clear at the Bürgenstock meeting in Switzerland.
On the Lebanese file, there are both areas of agreement and areas of disagreement between Iran and the United States.
The tactical agreement is that both sides want an immediate ceasefire, albeit for different reasons.
Iran wants a ceasefire in Lebanon to preserve what remains of Hezbollah's forces, its weapons, and its supporters in the south and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Washington wants a ceasefire so that the conflict does not derail the ongoing negotiations between the two countries.
The fundamental strategic difference between the positions of Iran and the United States is that Iran wants:
1. To preserve Hezbollah.
2. For the ceasefire to be followed by a full Israeli withdrawal.
At the same time, the United States wants the ceasefire to be followed by:
1. A guarantee that all heavy and medium weaponry is removed from Hezbollah, and that the Lebanese Army takes over all positions vacated by Hezbollah.
2. Washington has no objection — indeed, it shows sympathy and understanding — toward the Israeli army's desire to retain certain Lebanese territory in the south as security buffer zones, ensuring that attacks on settlers in northern Israel are not repeated.
This file — in my view — is difficult, delicate, and complex, and may well be the most complex of all issues in the negotiations between the two countries.