Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, tells Al Jazeera that Iran’s position on continuing negotiations has not changed fundamentally.

“My sense is that they’re going to remain committed to Lebanon being included before anything moves forward. I think their credibility is on the line,” he says.

Elmasry notes that Lebanon is mentioned three times in Article One of the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, and in one instance, talks about the territorial integrity of Lebanon.

“So I’m guessing the Iranians were talking with the Americans not only about a ceasefire … but also about an Israeli withdrawal [of Lebanon]. Whether that’s a complete withdrawal, whether that’s a partial withdrawal, I don’t know,” he explains.

“But when we talk about territorial integrity, we’re talking about Israeli occupation. I think this is a serious issue for the Iranians… and also I think they view this as a test of whether or not the US is serious and whether or not the US is willing to use its leverage over Israel,” he adds.