New Delhi, Jun 14: President Donald Trump on Sunday criticised an Israeli strike in Lebanon, saying it risked undermining efforts to finalise a framework agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region. He added that, despite the incident, a deal remained close.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf earlier said the Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah positions, reflected a lack of commitment by Washington to enforce its assurances in ongoing talks.
“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 on his Truth Social platform, adding that all parties should exercise restraint.
Iranian military official Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy commander of Iran’s top joint command, said Israeli “crimes” in Beirut would not go unanswered.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired three projectiles into northern Israel, violating a ceasefire in Lebanon, prompting Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district that Lebanese authorities said killed three people.
Fox News quoted a diplomat involved in the talks as saying that the strikes were complicating negotiations and could be seen as an attempt to derail the agreement. Israel has not commented on the claim.
Israel has maintained that it is not a party to the US-Iran negotiations and insists on retaining operational freedom in Lebanon. Iran, meanwhile, has made a full ceasefire in Lebanon a key demand in the talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also clashed with Trump over Washington’s push for restraint in Lebanon to support diplomatic progress with Tehran.
In his 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.”
Trump had earlier said the agreement was set to be signed on Sunday, which he noted coincided with his 80th birthday, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said preparations were underway for an electronic signing.
However, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that no final decision had been taken on the framework, with discussions still ongoing at technical and political levels.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the draft framework includes US commitments to release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to acquire or produce nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic.
The official also said that Tehran would maintain its current nuclear status, while halting further enrichment until a final deal is reached.
A US official, however, said the final agreement would ultimately require dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme and removing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iran would be allowed to dilute its stockpile domestically under the draft framework. (via. IT)
