Direct talks between the US and Iran are set to begin in Switzerland despite the Iranian military saying it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon.The US military has disputed the claim, saying "traffic continues to flow". Iran said the Strait was closed in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon that were a breach of Tehran's agreement with the US to end the war.
Officials from the US and Iran will be joined at the talks by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the country's armed forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Pakistan has acted as a mediator throughout the war, and hosted a previous round of negotiations between the US and Iran."Pakistan will continue to support the implementation of the understandings between Iran and the United States," the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement ahead of the talks.
Vance said he hoped to make progress "on the nuclear issue" and on the "Lebanon ceasefire issue".
Speaking to the press before he boarded his flight, he was asked about clashes between Israel and Hezbollah and Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon and said: "Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit."
"It's going to be something we're just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That's fundamentally the goal of this, to make the whole region safe and secure," he said.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said his country would be "demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments".Earlier this week the US and Iranian presidents signed an initial agreement aiming to end the war, including in Lebanon, with immediate effect. It includes a commitment to further talks to reach a final deal over the next 60 days.
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| Ali -Tahir-hill area of southern Lebanon following Israel strike on June 20/ photo/ Getty image. |
Israel hit a series of towns across Lebanon’s south early Saturday, Lebanese news agency NNA reported. An airstrike on the town of Arabsalim reportedly killed three people, the agency reported, and a drone strike on the town of Deir al-Zahrani reportedly killed one person. At least seven people remain trapped under the rubble, it said. Lebanon’s army said a soldier was killed between Kfar Rumman and Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.A previous wave of strikes on Friday killed 83 people, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said Hezbollah had breached the ceasefire and “launched more than 50 projectiles toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon” overnight, and that Israel had attacked what it described as Hezbollah targets in response. “The IDF remains committed to the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.
Hezbollah said it had “adhered to the ceasefire since Friday evening,” accusing Israel of making false claims to justify its attacks in an effort to “sabotage the agreement” between Iran and the U.S.
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Friday that Israeli forces will continue to operate in southern Lebanon and “do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians.”
U.S. spy agencies believe that Israel will likely continue to launch attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, potentially jeopardizing the tentative peace deal, according to a source with knowledge of the intelligence assessments.