Iran says Israeli strikes on Lebanon delayed next round of US talks

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has accused Israel of attempting to undermine understandings reached between Tehran and Washington by continuing military operations in Lebanon.

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations Office in Geneva on Tuesday, Ali Bahreini, Iran’s permanent representative, said Israeli attacks on Lebanon had delayed the next round of negotiations between Iran and the United States.

Bahreini argued that a ceasefire across all regional fronts, including Lebanon, formed a key component of the Memorandum of Understanding recently signed between Tehran and Washington.

According to the Iranian diplomat, Israel’s actions complicated efforts to advance the agreement and postponed the resumption of talks.

“Israel did not acknowledge or implement the first clause of the agreement,” Bahreini said, adding that this created obstacles to moving forward with the negotiating process.

He stated that Iran viewed implementation of the ceasefire provisions as a prerequisite for advancing to subsequent stages of the negotiations.

Bahreini said progress became possible only after what he described as a “fragile ceasefire” was established in Lebanon.

The Iranian envoy also stressed that Lebanon’s security and territorial integrity form an integral part of the understandings reached between Tehran and Washington.

He called for an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and urged the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

Bahreini added that technical discussions between Iranian and US officials remain ongoing and said additional meetings between senior delegations are expected in the coming period.

According to the ambassador, those meetings will be used to assess progress in implementing the agreement and determine the next steps in the diplomatic process.