Arabic version: فانس يحذر إيران من تعريض وقف إطلاق النار للخطر بسبب الصراع في لبنان

United States Vice President JD Vance has warned Iran that it would be “dumb” to jeopardise its ceasefire with Washington over Israel’s attacks in Lebanon. Vance’s remarks came as he emphasized that the U.S. does not agree that Israel would stop attacking Lebanon, despite Pakistan, which mediated the truce, stating that Lebanon is included in the two-week ceasefire. According to Al Jazeera, Vance stated that it would be unwise for Iran to let negotiations collapse over an issue that does not directly involve them.

Vance expressed his views while departing Hungary, highlighting that the U.S. believes Iran’s decision to potentially allow the negotiations to fail over Lebanon would be a poor choice. He reiterated that the U.S. never included Lebanon in the ceasefire agreement, despite the Pakistani Prime Minister’s statement suggesting otherwise.

In a contrasting statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi underscored the importance of Lebanon as part of the ceasefire terms, asserting that the U.S. must choose between continuing hostilities or upholding the truce. Vance, however, dismissed the conflicting interpretations as a “misunderstanding”, suggesting that the Iranian side misinterpreted the ceasefire’s scope.

The situation in Lebanon remains precarious, with Israel recently conducting one of its deadliest and most destructive attacks, resulting in at least 254 people killed and more than 1,100 others injured. Vance indicated that Israel has committed to exercising restraint in its operations in Lebanon, aiming to facilitate successful U.S.-Iran negotiations. Meanwhile, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to respond if Israeli attacks persist, emphasizing their support for Hezbollah in the ongoing conflict.