President Donald Trump moved on June 1 to keep peace talks going with Iran after the Islamic republic said it would walk away from negotiations over Israel’s continued bombing of Lebanon.
Trump’s move to intervene comes after Iranian state media reported that the country would halt even indirect talks with the United States over Israel’s intensifying military campaign in Lebanon. Israel said they are targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Iran said any end to the war will be contingent on relief from Israeli attacks for Lebanon.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that he had a “very good call with Hezbollah” and that all parties agreed to stop fighting.
Trump later added that “talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to meet for peace negotiations on June 2 and June 3, according to the office of Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun.
The near breakdown in talks comes nearly three months into the war that Trump and Israel launched on Feb. 28. Hezbollah soon joined the fight, launching attacks on Israel.
The U.S. ally in the region responded aggressively with a widespread bombing campaign that flattened parts of Beirut’s suburbs and a ground invasion aimed at taking control of parts of Lebanon bordering Israel.
The United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 7, but tensions have remained high, and the two sides have launched attacks on each other multiple times. The most recent strikes came this past weekend.
U.S. military officials said they carried out “self-defense” strikes on Iranian radar and drone sites after Tehran shot down an American drone. Iran said it targeted an air base used by U.S. forces.
Tehran appeared to respect Trump’s intervention but warned that if Israel does not make good on Trump’s orders to stop fighting, they will not only break off negotiations but will attack “the enemy.”
“If the Israeli aggression against Lebanon continues, we will not only halt the path of negotiations, but we will also be in direct confrontation with the enemy,” Mohammad B. Ghalibaf, Iran’s speaker of parliament, said in a statement the evening of June 1.
Netanyahu struck a defiant tone in response, saying he would refrain from striking Beirut only as long as Hezbollah does not strike at Israel. He also made it clear that the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon will continue. Hezbollah is heavily based in southern Lebanon, and many of their attacks have come in response to Israeli operations.
“I spoke with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens—Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This stance of ours remains unchanged. In parallel, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”
The Israeli prime minister’s statement comes after he said earlier on June 1 that he had ordered strikes on Beirut’s south suburbs, prompting thousands of residents to flee their homes. The Israeli military had largely halted strikes on Beirut since a ceasefire took hold on April 16.
Since the war began on Feb. 28, thousands of people in Iran and Lebanon have been killed, according to the countries’ respective health ministries. Israel says 23 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period. Thirteen U.S. service members have died in the conflict.
Iran, meanwhile, has maintained its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas flows. The conflict has become increasingly unpopular in the United States as Americans face higher prices at the pump.
Average U.S. gas prices were at $4.32 a gallon as of June 1, according to AAA.
Christopher Cann is a national news reporter at USA TODAY. Contact him at ccann@usatoday.com or follow him on X @Chris__Cann.
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