U.S. President Says Israeli Strike on Lebanon Should Not Have Occurred

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump criticised an Israeli strike on Lebanon that could complicate attempts to finalise a framework deal between the United States and Iran on Sunday on ending their war, but said an agreement was nonetheless close.

Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer ‌Qalibaf had earlier said Israel's attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, showed the U.S. lacked the will or ability to fulfil its commitments.

"This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down."

"If you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible," Qalibaf wrote on X.

Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy commander of Iran's top joint military command, was quoted by state media as saying Israeli "crimes" in Beirut's ⁠southern suburbs would not go unanswered.

"A strong response is coming," the head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee said later.

Trump and mediator Pakistan said on Saturday they expected the deal would be signed on Sunday, the U.S. president's 80th birthday. An official involved in the talks said on Sunday that mediators were optimistic the deal was "nearly over the line." Trump also told Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Sunday that a deal was near, a Kremlin aide said.

But Tehran cast doubt over the timing even before the strike on Beirut.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that, under the terms of the draft deal, the U.S. would agree to release $25 billion of frozen Iranian assets, while Tehran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.

Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran on Sunday morning as part of efforts to finalise the agreement, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

The Israeli military said on Sunday Hezbollah had launched three projectiles towards communities in northern Israel in violation of a ceasefire. Israel then fired at what it called Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh neighbourhood of Beirut in an attack that Lebanon's civil defence said killed three people.

Fox News quoted an unidentified diplomat involved in the talks as saying the Israeli strikes were complicating efforts to finalise the U.S.-Iran deal, and describing them as an attempt to sabotage those efforts.

Israel did not respond to the assertion.

Israel has said it will retain freedom of operations in Lebanon. Tehran has made a full ceasefire there an important component of its demands.

Israeli Prime ‌Minister Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu has also clashed with Trump over U.S. demands that Israel curb military action in Lebanon to allow Washington to reach a deal with Tehran.

In Sunday's post, Trump said there "should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel".

Thousands of people have been killed in the war, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases, and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, pushing up global energy prices. The U.S. has blocked Iranian ports.

Iran's Fars news agency, citing an informed source, said on Sunday Tehran had not yet taken a final decision on the framework agreement, with reviews of its political, legal and technical aspects under way.

Draft terms ⁠described to Reuters by multiple sources indicate the U.S. would begin releasing frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on its oil exports, in return for Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's nuclear programme would then be addressed during a 60-day period of talks.

The senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Iran agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo, including no uranium enrichment or expanding nuclear facilities, until a final deal was reached.

A U.S. official said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium ⁠to be destroyed and removed.

The senior Iranian official said the draft deal would allow Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear bomb, to dilute its enriched uranium inside the country.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the end of the naval blockade on Iran would "start immediately" once an accord was signed, but the timing would depend on the strait reopening. He said the U.S. had the capacity to clear the strait to ensure safe transit.

Hegseth, speaking on CBS News' Face the Nation, said the ⁠U.S. planned to keep enough military force in the region to "make sure the military option is still there" during negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.

While U.S. and Israeli bombing has heavily degraded Iran's military-industrial base, experts say the war has entrenched the dominance of Iran's hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

At pro-government rallies across Iran on Saturday night, residents and news agencies reported that hardliners opposed to the framework agreement loudly voiced their dissatisfaction.

Source: Reuters 



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