Trump urges Israel not to strike Lebanon with US and Iran ‘so close’ to agreement

The US president rebuked Israel's prime minister over a strike on Beirut but said he still expects a memorandum with Iran to be signed Sunday.

Here's the latest

• Push for an agreement: US President Donald Trump called on Israel not to strike Lebanon while a long-sought agreement with Iran is “so close.” An Israeli strike on what it said were Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut on Sunday has threatened to jeopardize the signing of a memorandum of understanding that would kick off 60 more days of negotiation on ending the war.

• Status of talks: Trump told Axios he expects the signing to take place Sunday despite the strikes. Iran’s top security official has warned that Lebanon is one of Tehran’s “red lines” in the negotiations, and state media reported earlier Sunday that Iran has not made a final decision on the proposed framework.

• Diverging narratives: US and Iranian officials have issued conflicting messages on both the timing and details of a potential agreement. Iranian hardliners have in particular pushed back on some of the proposals in the text.

Netanyahu seeks urgent meeting with Trump after G7, Israeli source says

By Tal Shalev

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking an urgent meeting with US President Donald Trump, a Israeli source said, amid what appears to be growing tension over negotiations with Iran and the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The source said Netanyahu is trying to arrange a meeting after Trump returns from the G7 in Europe next weekend or soon thereafter.

Trump strongly rebuked Israel on Sunday after the Israeli military struck Beirut in response to Hezbollah fire on northern Israel, saying the attack on the Lebanese capital “should not have happened.” He called Hezbollah’s attack “very small and meaningless.”

The public spat sharply contrasts with the unified front the two leaders publicly displayed at the outset of the Iran war and is the latest in a string of visible disagreements as Trump moved to end hostilities. Trump has already restrained Israel’s freedom of operation in Lebanon; he ordered Netanyahu to cancel attack plans on Iran last week after Tehran shot missiles at Israel for the first time since the April ceasefire.

According to the Israeli source, Netanyahu is seeking a meeting with the US president after he returns to the US from the G7 in Europe to clarify and communicate Israel’s positions in the negotiations.

Israel is particularly concerned about preserving its freedom of operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon as Iran pushes for Israeli withdrawal, the source said. Israel also worries the emerging agreement between the US and Iran will ease economic pressure on Tehran without touching the nuclear file, an outcome that would stabilize the Iranian regime at a moment when Israel seeks to further weaken it.

CNN has reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment.

Iran's top security official says Lebanon is one of Tehran’s “red lines”

By Mohammed Tawfeeq

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday.

Ibrahim Amro/AFP/Getty Images

Iran’s top security official warned Sunday that Lebanon is central to Tehran’s regional security posture, saying any breach of the Islamic Republic’s “red lines” would not be tolerated.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X that “the unity of the fronts has created a security chain in defense of the region.”

“Lebanon is our lifeblood, and any violation of the Islamic Republic’s red lines will not be tolerated,” he added.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said in a post on X on Sunday that Israel “will never be able to isolate and corner any part of the Resistance’s pillars,” in an apparent reference to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

“The powerful diplomacy of Iran will guarantee the sovereignty and territorial integrity of beloved Lebanon, and will put an end to the Israeli regime’s madness and warmongering,” Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator in the talks, added.

“Carry on, and we will too,” Ghalibaf wrote.

The Iranian officials comments came after US President Donald Trump earlier Sunday urged Israel not to strike Lebanon as Washington and Tehran negotiate a memorandum of understanding related to the war.

“This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”

Trump also told CNN political and global affairs analyst and Axios reporter Barak Ravid that the signing of the memorandum with Iran remains on track for later Sunday despite Israel’s latest strike on Beirut. In those comments, Trump sharply rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump rebukes Netanyahu's Beirut attack, says Iran agreement signing will take place today

By Casey Gannon

President Donald Trump speaks to the press in New York, on June 9.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/File

The US signing of the memorandum with Iran is still on track to take place today despite Israel’s most recent strike in Beirut, President Donald Trump told CNN political and global affairs analyst and Axios reporter Barak Ravid in comments that sharply rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

During a short phone call with Ravid, Trump expressed his disagreement with Netanyahu’s decision to strike Beirut, telling Ravid, “(Netanyahu) has no f**king judgement. I let him know that.”

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Ravid said Trump went further with his criticism of Netanyahu.

“Why did Bibi carry out that attack? Hezbollah fired and hit the middle of nowhere. Nobody was hurt. And then he had to carry out that f**king attack, and in Beirut of all places. It really angered me,” Ravid reported Trump said during the interview.

Earlier this morning, Trump called on Israel not to strike Lebanon while an agreement with Iran is “so close.”

“They called me and said, ‘Sir, Israel is attacking in Beirut’— an hour before we were supposed to sign the agreement,” Ravid said Trump told him. “I couldn’t believe it was happening. It’s very bad.”

Pakistan and Qatar have been key mediators since a ceasefire was first announced

By Catherine Nicholls

The potential US-Iran agreement is being called the “Islamabad declaration,” multiple sources have said, in recognition of the key mediating role Pakistan has played in attempting to bring about an end to the war.

Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic bridge between the US and Iran, having hosted face-to-face talks between delegations from both countries back in April. Pakistani officials have passed peace proposals and counterproposals between the warring sides and helped to negotiate and extend the current ceasefire.

The country is well-placed to act as mediator given its cordial ties with both Iran and the United States, with Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir — who US President Donald Trump has called his “favorite field marshal” — leading Islamabad’s efforts.

Pakistan is also home to the largest population of Shia Muslims outside of Iran and, unlike Islamic countries in the Gulf region, does not host any US military bases.

Yesterday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart to emphasize his support for Islamabad’s role in mediating talks.

Officials from Qatar — a key US ally in the region — have also held talks in Tehran to help mediate an agreement, according to sources.

Last week, a person familiar with the matter told CNN that US officials believe meetings between Iranian and Qatari officials in Tehran helped resolve some of the remaining sticking points on the agreement with the US.

And this morning, Qatari negotiators flew to the Iranian capital city to help facilitate the finalization of the agreement, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

CNN’s Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting.

Israeli strikes and conflicting messages add to uncertainty surrounding US-Iran agreement

By Maureen Chowdhury

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon on Sunday.

Bilal Hussein/AP

US President Donald Trump is urging Israel not to strike Lebanon at a time when he says Tehran and Washington are “so close” to a deal.

Israel struck what it said were Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut on Sunday, placing further strain on negotiations around a US-Iran agreement that Trump has hoped to sign on his 80th birthday.

If the memorandum of understanding is signed by Washington and Tehran, it’s expected to kick off 60 more days of negotiation on the details of a pact ending the war.

If you’re just joining us, here’s where things stand:

• “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”

• Israel informed the US in advance of the strike on Beirut today, an Israeli source tells CNN. The source also said Israel took into consideration that the strike might lead Iran to retaliate with ballistic missile fire against Israel on the day of a potential signing.

• Two senior Iranian figures have criticized the United States’ ongoing support for Israel in the wake of the strikes.

• Meanwhile, Tehran has indicated it’s not yet made a final decision on the proposed US framework, and Iranian hardliners have in particular pushed back on some of the proposals in the text. Decisions on peace talks ultimately rest with the country’s supreme leader and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s president said, amid the signs of disagreement between key factions in the country.

• US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz deflected when he was asked earlier today to provide any specifics about the potential US-Iran memorandum of understanding. Waltz said more details will be left for future talks.

• Former President Barack Obama said it was “doubtful” any agreement that emerges between the US and Iran will be “significantly different” or “an improvement” over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, brokered under his administration in 2015.

• An energy expert said Americans should expect elevated oil and gas prices through late summer even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens soon.

CNN’s Aida Karimi, Sophie Tanno, Julia Benbrook, Auzinea Bacon, Casey Gannon, Christian Sierra, Tal Shalev, Charlotte Reck and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.