Iran’s highest national security body appears unswayed by US president’s call for restraint; Trump says Israel should not have attacked Beirut
Trump calls for restraint after Israel airstrikes on Beirut
Iranian hardliners in vociferous push to reject US peace deal
Iran’s highest national security body warned on Sunday that a response was “imminent” following an Israeli strike targeting Tehran’s ally Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
“The response of the fighters of Islam is imminent,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement on X. “Lebanon is our life and violation of the red lines of the Islamic Republic will not be tolerated.”
A deal between the US and Iran has been reached, says Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan who has been acting as a mediator.
“Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED,” he wrote on X. “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
He added: “The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, 19 June in Switzerland.”
“With the agreement now in place, mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week. These pre-implementation discussions will lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony.”
Qatari negotiators are still in Tehran to ensure talks remain on track, a diplomat with knowledge of the situation told CNN. The Qatari negotiators are in the Iranian capital in coordination with the US, the source said.
US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement that it has so far redirected 142 commercial ships and “disabled” nine vessels as part of the US blockade against Iran.
Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in a statement on X that “zero hour has arrived”.
“A computational error in Beirut exhausted patience, and the order was issued,” he wrote. “Zero hour has arrived, and the launchers are preparing.”
“If the fire of mischief in Lebanon is not extinguished, the two powerful geographic arms – Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab – will squeeze your economic lifelines to the point of strategic suffocation,” he added.
Iran’s foreign ministry said that it holds the US directly responsible for Israel’s ceasefire breaches in Lebanon, Reuters is reporting, following the recent Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres criticized Israel’s strikes on Beirut that threatened US plans for Washington and Tehran to sign a framework peace deal later in the day.
“The strikes took place despite the ceasefire and at a time when the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are expected to reach an agreement that will pave the way to a peaceful resolution of this conflict,” he said in a statement.
“I urge all parties to show maximum restraint at this crucial moment and I strongly hope for a successful outcome of the ongoing efforts by the US and Iran,” he added.
Iran’s state broadcaster said that flights at airports in the west of the country are cancelled, after Tehran warned it would respond to an Israeli attack on Beirut.
“Flights from airports in the western part of the country have been cancelled until further notice,” state television reported following the warning from Iran’s top security body.
Gaza’s civil defence service and hospitals said Israeli attacks killed at least six people on Sunday in the latest violence to hit the Palestinian territory despite a months-old ceasefire, AFP reported.
The Israeli military said it has killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on southern Lebanon.
Ali Mussa Dakdouk was targeted on Friday in an area south of the Litani River, Israel Defence Forces said.
It described him as having “served as a source of knowledge with extensive operational experience”.
The IDF added that in recent years, Dakdouk “played a central role in advancing terrorist attacks and combat operations against Israel and IDF soldiers”.
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has responded to Israel’s attack in Beirut by writing on X: “We will teach the attackers a regrettable lesson.”
Donald Trump was forced to call for restraint on Sunday after Israel launched fresh airstrikes on Beirut as mediators sought to conclude negotiations on a preliminary peace deal between Iran and the US that would bring the three-month war in the Middle East to a definitive end.
Trump played down new Israeli strikes but said “all sides should stand down”.
“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon … 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. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace – Let’s not blow it!” the US president posted to his social media site.
Trump had previously suggested the US could sign an agreement with Iran on Sunday, but as the evening came in the Middle East, there was no sign of a breakthrough. Instead, Iranian officials threatened a military response to the Israeli attack on Beirut, which destroyed a building in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, killing three and injuring six.
Trump told the Axios news site that the Israeli strike had “delayed the signing by a few hours” and, using an expletive, said he had told the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, he had no judgment.
Israel said it had targeted senior Hezbollah commanders after the militant Islamist organisation – which has close links with Tehran – launched three projectiles into northern Israel.
A strike on Beirut by Israeli forces a week ago triggered a short but intense new round of fighting between Iran and Israel, momentarily destabilising negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
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