DUBAI/WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump criticized 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 terrorists, showed the United States lacked the will or ability to fulfill 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."
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, launched on Feb. 28, has stoked conflict between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Israel has said it is not party to the planned U.S.-Iran deal.
"If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible," Qalibaf wrote on X, in an apparent reference to peace moves.
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.
Israeli Strike
The Israeli military said on Sunday that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles towards communities in northern Israel in violation of a ceasefire in Lebanon.Israel then fired at what it called Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut in an attack that Lebanon's civil defense said killed three people.
Israel has said it will retain freedom of operations in Lebanon, while 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.
Uncertainty Over Timing of Signing
Thousands of people have been killed in the war, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases, and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies. This has pushed up global energy prices, and the United States has blocked Iranian ports.Trump said on Saturday the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed on Sunday, his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing, with technical-level talks to follow.
But 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 ongoing at expert and decision-making levels.
US Focuses on Opening Strait
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the end of the U.S. 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 for ships.Hegseth, speaking on CBS News' Face the Nation, said the United States planned to keep enough military force in the region to "make sure the military option is still there" during negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.