Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran, the framework for negotiations on a future deal had already encountered significant pressure. Negotiators from both Tehran and Washington postponed trips to Switzerland, where discussions about a more permanent deal were scheduled to take place, after a sharp burst of fighting in Lebanon provoked Iranian anger.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei insisted that any Israeli presence in Lebanon at all would lead to the “annulment” of the MOU, even though the sovereign nation of Israel was not party to the MOU, and Iran has no rightful claim to Lebanese territory.

“The second phase of our negotiations will begin to reach a final agreement, and this final agreement will be achieved only if the memorandum of understanding is fully implemented,” Baghaei said, “which, in our view, means the complete cessation of attacks and the end of the occupation.”

Iran professes to be highly concerned with Israel’s occupation of Lebanese territory but has never once protested the illegal occupation of Lebanese territory by armed Hezbollah militants. The reason is that Hezbollah is a proxy group that receives funding and marching orders from Iran.

Shortly past midnight on Friday, Hezbollah struck an Israeli tank with a drone or anti-tank missile, killing all four crew members. Hours later, Hezbollah launched an explosive drone that wounded five Israeli soldiers in Lebanon. Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israeli soldiers that caused no casualties.

These deadly attacks constituted a violation of a ceasefire previously brokered between Hezbollah and Israel. But, of course, Iran calls the shots for Hezbollah, and Iran cares nothing for keeping “deals” it makes with either Israel or the U.S.

The attacks by Hezbollah, so soon after the MOU was signed, should be seen as an Iranian gambit to force Israel to withdraw from Lebanon under U.S. pressure, thus rendering Iran’s victory in the MOU complete.

Israel, however, has shown no inclination to swallow a bad deal and give up its best position in a generation just because its American ally got cold feet.

Israel responded vigorously to Hezbollah’s provocations, striking over 80 targets across southern and eastern Lebanon. On Friday morning, it struck two Hezbollah command centers in the Beqaa Valley, killing “dozens of Hezbollah terrorists.” The Lebanese health ministry reported the total casualties from the attack as 47 killed and 97 wounded, without distinguishing between combatants and civilians.

On Friday afternoon, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to renew the ceasefire, The Times of Israel reported. Or rather, Israel determined that it had carried out sufficient retaliation for Hezbollah’s crimes and decided to stop shooting. “At 11:30 this morning, Israel halted all offensive operations; Hezbollah and Iranian claims to the contrary are bold lies,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter wrote. “If Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases its hostilities, they will be met with quiet.”

Yet the Iranian regime will not be satisfied with an outcome that leaves their terrorist proxy still further debased. Iran insists on Israel leaving Lebanon entirely, which would leave a vacuum in which Hezbollah could recruit, rearm, and rebuild to threaten northern Israel once again.

“We cannot talk about ending the war while parts of Lebanese territory remain under the occupation of the Zionist entity,” Baghaei declared. “As long as the occupation continues, it can be said that the war is still in place and has not ended in essence.”

If Iran wants Israel to be constrained by the terms of the deal, perhaps it should have insisted that Israel be party to the negotiations. For now, all that can be said is that President Trump seems to be the only party involved who actually wants the fighting to stop, and he appears willing to hand the Iranian regime every military, economic, and diplomatic advantage to achieve that one goal. Domestic politics really do influence the conduct of war.