Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Iran's top diplomat said Tuesday that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon -- a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement, leading to the resumption of all-out war.

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Trump: "Without me, there would be no Israel ... I've had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon ... I'm not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and Hezbollah."

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-- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 8:23 AM · Jun 16, 2026

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More: The deal, which is between the U.S. and Iran, has not been made public, and officials have sometimes offered contradictory interpretations of what is in it. While Israel is not party to the agreement, it is part of the war: It joined the U.S. in launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and has since fought the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and seized large swaths of that country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel's continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal.

"Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end," Araghchi said.

#1 | Posted by qcp at 2026-06-17 12:34 PM | Reply

But the Israeli Death Forces (IDF) haven't ethnically cleansed the territory south of the Litani River nor have they stopped looting Lebanese homes or desecrating Christian sites, statues, or monasteries.

Source: IDF soldiers looting Lebanon like Russian soldiers looting Ukraine

#2 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-06-17 01:18 PM | Reply

This is one ugly world, ugly time. It is true, if Iran's enemies have weapons then Iran has the right to defend itself from those weapons...
Let's see, the US has thousands of nuclear weapons of mass destruction, and by now the Israeli military must have hundreds...all aimed straight at Iran.
Don't suppose the US could just abandon the entire damn Middle East, and leave that insane asylum to its fate?

#3 | Posted by Hughmass at 2026-06-18 06:45 AM | Reply

Like Nutinyahoo is going to agree to that.

#4 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-06-18 08:31 AM | Reply

Bibi will turn the MOU to toilet paper in a twinkling. Trump will goad him into doing so, given the reception for this disaster thus far. Der Dotard would rather spend this country's riches and put US soldiers at risk than look bad in the eyes of others. The Strait is open for now, and the scramble for ships to get out is underway, before the Iranians close it again, in, oh, a few days after the next Israeli attack...

#5 | Posted by catdog at 2026-06-18 08:36 AM | Reply

... Iran's top diplomat said Tuesday that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon ...

Did Israel take part in the talks?


#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-18 12:12 PM | Reply

Nope.

#7 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-06-18 12:20 PM | Reply

Did Israel take part in the talks?

POSTED BY LAMPLIGHTER

I heard Trumpy sent him a copy of the MOU.

No word back yet. And no one is expecting Nutty to sign anything.

I am sure it will be fine. After all.. We won!

Increased chocolate rations for everyone!

#8 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-06-18 12:21 PM | Reply

Israel is the Spoiler.

Israel is Always the Spoiler.

They Start Wars and Expect Others to clean up the Mess.

They have an Entitled and Arrogant Worldview.

Abandoning them to fend for themselves would be the Rational Decision.

Or bombing them if they continue to commit Crimes against Humanity to Create "Greater Israel".

Wars of Expansion are Crimes against Humanity.

All of Israel's Wars have been Expansionist in Nature.

They are only "Victims" in their Delusion$.

#9 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2026-06-19 12:33 AM | Reply

@#8 ... I heard Trumpy sent him a copy of the MOU.

No word back yet. And no one is expecting Nutty to sign anything. ...

So the "deal" could far apart if Israel disagrees with it, and Pres Trump would then have an "out" --- the exit ramp he so desperately has been trying to find. He could just blame it on Israel.

#10 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-19 12:44 AM | Reply

Another view ...

For Iran, a new ceasefire means big gains. But Trump's war goals fall short.
www.csmonitor.com

... The ceasefire deal inked by the United States and Iran on Wednesday, aimed at bringing an end to their costly and destructive war, has been touted a strategic victory by the Islamic Republic " while coming up short on achieving U.S. goals articulated by President Donald Trump.

The agreement grants Iran sizable economic incentives in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz and for Tehran's assurances -- as it has done for many years -- that it will not develop a nuclear weapon.

Mr. Trump touted the 14-point plan to end the war, which he launched jointly with Israel in a surprise attack against Iran on Feb. 28, while a previous round of negotiations was underway.

But the provisions of the new memorandum of understanding, or MoU, fall far short of Mr. Trump's original stated goals of toppling the Islamic Republic: destroying its nuclear program, missile arsenal, and regional network of proxy forces; and forcing Tehran into "unconditional surrender."

Instead, Iran can immediately begin selling oil, with complete sanctions relief, and access a reconstruction fund of "at least" $300 billion after a final deal is reached that would impose strict limits on Iran's nuclear program. ...

[emphasis mine]


#11 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-19 12:48 AM | Reply

In a statement read over maritime radio channels, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US was in violation of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed Wednesday.

"Since Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are among the main conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met," it said. "All ships are requested, for the sake of their security and safety, not to approach the Strait of Hormuz. Any vessel that defies this directive will be targeted."

#12 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-06-19 10:45 AM | Reply

Are the IRGC and Pezeshkian on the same page?

#13 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-06-19 10:46 AM | Reply

Dang you Lucy!

We'll try to kick that football again next week.

#14 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-06-19 10:57 AM | Reply

Not to make an unpopular observation or anything, but does anyone believe Hezbollah is going to stop firing rockets into Israel?

#15 | Posted by moder8 at 2026-06-19 11:12 AM | Reply

Not to make an unpopular observation or anything, but does anyone believe Hezbollah is going to stop counterattacking Israel with rockets?

#16 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-06-19 11:33 AM | Reply

... And round and round we go. With both sides -------- with righteous anger towards the other.

#17 | Posted by moder8 at 2026-06-19 11:46 AM | Reply

but does anyone believe Hezbollah is going to stop counterattacking Israel with rockets?

#16 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-06-19 11:33 AM | Reply | Flag:

People in Southern Lebanon attacking Israel predates Hezbollah. The PLO used Southern Lebanon for terror attacks on Israel, while directing from Jordan. They were evicted from Jordan. The Beqaa Valley shiites, the people that eventually formed Hezbollah, were the Amal Movement first, and during both periods intertwined with the PLO. The PLO could not maintain bases, logistics, recruiting networks, intelligence sources, transportation routes, and political influence in Southern Lebanon if it were otherwise.

Do you keep doing the same thing for 60 years or ... try something else?

#18 | Posted by sitzkrieg at 2026-06-19 12:02 PM | Reply

FWIW, it is very difficult to take anyone seriously who has Hezbollah playing the role of victim for 60 years. As Sentinel said, they need to try something else.

#19 | Posted by moder8 at 2026-06-19 12:14 PM | Reply

Ask Israel, they have been doing the Same Thing for 80 Years.

Are They Going to "Try something Else"?

Israel is the Aggressor.

Is Ukraine going to "Try Something Else"?

#20 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2026-06-19 12:18 PM | Reply

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