Iran’s chief negotiator, Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, on 14 June blamed the United States for Israel’s latest strikes on Beirut’s Dahiya district in Lebanon.
“Israel’s attack on Dahiya has once again shown that America lacks either the will to fulfil its obligations or the ability to do so. By giving the regime the green light, you cannot expect concessions,” Kalibaf wrote on his X page.
The official accused the US of playing “good cop, bad cop”.
“If you lack the will and the ability to fulfil your commitments, it is impossible to talk about continuing down this path,” he added.
Subsequently, US President Donald Trump criticised the strike on Beirut, pointing to the proximity of a peace agreement with Iran.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack to which it responded was very minor and insignificant; no one was harmed, injured or killed, and this important process should not be disrupted. We are very close to an agreement that will bring peace to the region, including Lebanon, and all parties must step back,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth.
Trump called on Israel to stop striking Lebanon, but also urged other parties, including Hezbollah, to refrain from attacking Israel.
Tel Aviv had previously stated that it had attacked southern areas of Lebanon after the Hezbollah group fired three shells at communities in northern Israel.
“Israel will not tolerate shelling of its territory,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement published on 14 June.
There are fears that renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could delay the signing of an agreement between the United States and Iran, which is due to be signed later on 14 June.
Hezbollah is a militant group and political party that controls a significant part of southern Lebanon. The United States considers it a terrorist organisation, although the European Union has blacklisted only its armed wing.