SouthernWorldwide.com – Foreign policy experts are urging the Trump administration to maintain vigilant oversight of Iran’s actions concerning its terror proxy, Hezbollah, a group implicated in the deaths of Americans.
The significance of Hezbollah to the Iranian regime is underscored in a comprehensive U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. While the agreement does not explicitly name Hezbollah, the first clause mandates the permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, which includes ending conflict in Lebanon.
Daftari characterized Hezbollah as “a forward-deployed arm of the IRGC Quds Force, holding Lebanon hostage.” She elaborated that “the IRGC created Hezbollah in 1982, trained it, armed it, funded it, and to this day embeds Quds Force commanders within its command structure. To treat them as separate entities is a fiction Tehran leverages.”
Rubio asserted that regional proxy threats are inherently addressed by the framework. He stated, “I believe a careful examination of the MOU reveals that when you discuss, for instance, a complete — an end to hostilities throughout the region, well, that is not achievable. You cannot have an end to hostilities and conflicts in the region as long as Iranian proxies are launching missiles and drones from Iraq and are engaged in terrorism, as Hamas and Hezbollah have done. Therefore, I do believe it is covered by the MOU, and it is an issue that will be addressed at the opportune moment in these negotiations.”
Roggio noted that these efforts “continue to this day,” with Hezbollah playing a “pivotal role in establishing, training, advising, and supporting the Iraqi militias responsible for the deaths of over 600 American soldiers. Hezbollah also trained al Qaeda in the use of suicide car bombs, which they employed in the 1998 suicide attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and refined in conflicts such as those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.”
In May 2025, a U.S. District Court determined that Iran, through its proxy Hezbollah, was responsible for the torture of Lebanese American Amer Fakhoury. Fakhoury experienced a sixty-pound weight loss during a six-month captivity after being abducted by Hezbollah in Lebanon in September 2019. He passed away six months after his return to the U.S. from cancer diagnosed during his imprisonment in Lebanon.
The Fakhoury family stated that “enduring peace cannot be achieved at the cost of accountability. Genuine stability in Lebanon necessitates ensuring that terrorist organizations like Hezbollah no longer possess the power to intimidate, detain, and silence innocent individuals.”
They expressed their disappointment regarding the “limited public attention given to Americans who remain unjustly detained by the Iranian regime.” They added, “Any substantive agreement with Iran must incorporate tangible progress toward the return of every wrongfully detained American.”
As U.S.-brokered talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials recommenced in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a statement on his X account on Tuesday, expressing gratitude to the Vice President and Secretary of State. The statement partly read, “…for the attention the United States is showing toward Lebanon, aimed at ending the war there, strengthening the authority of the Lebanese state, and the independence of its decision-making, considering it solely responsible for preserving national sovereignty, the dignity of the Lebanese people, and their safety.”
When questioned by reporters in Kuwait on Wednesday about Israel’s ongoing military presence, Rubio clearly articulated the administration’s expectations. He stated their hope is “that the Lebanese Armed Forces and the legitimate, sovereign Lebanese government will continue to be able to control and secure more and more of their own territory—because that is who should control Lebanese territory, not a terrorist group like Hezbollah. So, that is the objective. And I believe the Israelis have been clear. They have no disputes with the Lebanese people; they have no territorial claims on Lebanon.”
Conricus, a senior fellow at the FDD, added that “there is a unique opportunity here to roll back Iranian aggression in the region and dismantle its most significant proxy, Hezbollah.” To achieve this, he advocated for “political pressure, informational pressure, and… economic pressure on Hezbollah [and] on all of its financial institutions.”
The Washington talks between Lebanon and Israel are anticipated to continue into Thursday.
