Qalibaf: Continuing the Path Toward an Agreement with the U.S. Is Not Possible

Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, the chief negotiator of the Islamic Republic in peace talks with the United States, announced that, following Israel’s attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, continuing the path toward an agreement with the U.S. “is not possible.”

In a message on the social media platform X on Sunday, Qalibaf wrote that the recent attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut demonstrated once again that the United States either lacks the necessary will to implement its commitments or is incapable of doing so. He added that attempting to gain concessions by green-lighting Israel will yield no results, and that the “good cop, bad cop” policy no longer possesses its past efficacy. He emphasized: “If you lack the will and capability to implement your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible.”

Concurrently, Mohammad-Jafar Asadi, the deputy head of inspection for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, reacted to the strike, stating that Israel’s action will “undoubtedly” face a response.

Meanwhile, Nezameddin Mousavi, the former spokesperson for the parliament’s presiding board, also wrote in a message on X that the attack on Beirut’s Dahiyeh on the day the memorandum between the Islamic Republic and the United States was scheduled to be signed was not carried out merely to disrupt the agreement, but was an attempt to “humiliate the Islamic Republic.”

Addressing the members of the Islamic Republic’s negotiating team, he wrote: “Do not submit to humiliation, and sign nothing under conditions of humiliation.” Mousavi also accused U.S. President Donald Trump of seeking to showcase a political victory for himself through such actions.

These statements come at a time when the Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had targeted positions belonging to Hezbollah in Beirut’s Dahiyeh. According to the Israeli military, the strike was carried out in response to projectiles fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel.

Israeli media reported that the target of the airstrike in the Ghobeiry neighborhood was a commander of Hezbollah’s communications network. Al-Mayadeen network also reported that a five-story building was targeted during the attack.

The National News Agency of Lebanon initially reported that one person had been killed and four wounded, but announced hours later that the death toll had increased to three. The attack was carried out after Hezbollah fired several projectiles toward northern Israel. The Israeli military deemed this action a violation of the ceasefire and placed responsibility on Hezbollah.

The southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, have become one of the primary points of contention in the negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the United States in recent weeks. According to reports, Tehran has presented the cessation of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah’s main headquarters in this area as one of its conditions in the talks with Washington.

Last week, an Israeli attack on Beirut’s Dahiyeh led to Iranian missile strikes against Israel, followed by retaliatory attacks by the Israeli military on areas inside Iran. This confrontation impacted the process of reaching an agreement to end the conflict between Iran and the United States, though the exchange of fire between the parties was ultimately halted through the intervention of Donald Trump.