Iran Deal In Danger? Tehran Questions US Commitment As Israel Strikes Lebanon

Iran’s top negotiator has publicly questioned the United States’ commitment to ongoing peace efforts after Israel carried out fresh strikes in Lebanon, casting new uncertainty over plans for Tehran and Washington to sign a framework agreement aimed at ending their months-long war.

The latest development comes after U.S. President Donald Trump and mediator Pakistan said on Saturday that they expected the agreement to be signed on Sunday. However, Tehran has continued to express caution over the timeline, while hardline protesters inside Iran have voiced opposition to the proposed deal.

Israeli strike adds new tension to delicate peace process

As diplomatic efforts intensified, Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran on Sunday morning in an attempt to help finalise the agreement, according to a source familiar with the matter.

But Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf suggested the latest Israeli attack had undermined confidence in the process. Referring to Sunday’s strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, he wrote on X: “If you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible.” Iranian military official Mohammad Jafar Assadi also warned that Israeli “crimes” in Beirut’s southern suburbs would not go unanswered.

Beirut attack complicates negotiations between Tehran and Washington

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, launched on February 28, has fuelled renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the planned U.S.-Iran agreement.

According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired three projectiles toward communities in northern Israel, violating the ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel responded by striking what it described as Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district. Lebanon’s civil defence agency said the attack killed three people.

Questions grow over whether signing can happen this week

Fox News quoted an unidentified diplomat involved in the negotiations as saying the Israeli strikes were complicating efforts to finalise the agreement and amounted to an attempt to sabotage the process. Israel did not immediately respond to the allegation.

Israel has maintained that it will retain freedom of military operations in Lebanon, while Tehran has made a full ceasefire there a key demand. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also reportedly clashed with Trump over U.S. pressure on Israel to scale back military action in Lebanon to facilitate a deal with Iran.

Tehran remains cautious despite optimism from Washington

The war has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. Iran has launched attacks on Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. Navy has blocked Iranian ports. The disruptions have pushed global energy prices higher.

Trump said on Saturday that the agreement was scheduled to be signed on Sunday, which also marks his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said preparations were underway for an electronic signing, followed by technical-level talks next week.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned that the agreement would “not be” signed on Sunday, though it could happen “in the coming days.” Iran’s Fars news agency reported that Tehran had not yet made a final decision, with political, legal and technical reviews still underway. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the draft agreement would see the United States release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would commit not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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