The US president, Donald Trump, said on Sunday that a peace deal with Iran was still on track to be signed within a few hours, despite an Israeli strike on Beirut that he said had delayed the plan.
‘It shook it up. It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now,’ Trump said in a phone call to the Axios news outlet.
Trump fumed at Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the attack on Beirut, saying, ‘it is so bad – I couldn’t believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal.’
Using a string of expletives, Trump told Axios that he raged at Netanyahu after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, killing three people, in response to what it said was Hezbollah fire at northern Israel.
Earlier, Trump said the Israeli strike on Beirut should not have taken place, particularly at a time when Washington was “very close” to reaching a peace agreement with Iran.
In a post on Social Truth, Trump said, “Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless; nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and it should not disrupt this important process.”
Trump said a deal that could bring peace to the region, including Lebanon, was within reach and warned against actions that could derail the process.
“There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel,” he added. Trump said that this could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace – Let’s not blow it.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday questioned the United States’ willingness and ability to fulfil its commitments after the Israeli military reportedly carried out strikes in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district.
Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the second time in a week in response to what it said was Hezbollah fire at northern Israel, while its military also carried out broader strikes on southern Lebanon.
The latest escalation came despite expectations that a deal between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war could be imminent, as Tehran insists a ceasefire in Lebanon must be part of any deal.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf said the Zionists’ incursion into Dahiyeh had once again demonstrated that “America either lacks the will to fulfil its commitments or the ability to do so”.
“By giving the green light to the regime, you cannot gain concessions,” the speaker said, describing the US and Israel’s “bad cop and good cop” approach as an outdated tactic.
“If you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible,” he added.
Earlier, it was reported that Iran’s final decision on a possible memorandum of understanding with the US is “under consideration,” a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
“Iran has not yet announced its final decision on the proposed memorandum of understanding,” the source told the Fars News Agency.
“The review of the political, legal, and technical dimensions of the proposals is still ongoing,” he added.
According to Fars, the various aspects of the proposed deal is being discussed at both expert and decision-making levels.
US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Saturday that a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between the US and Iran, also said the deal could be finalised in the next 24 hours.
Iran, however, said the agreement will not be signed on Sunday, but may be inked in the coming days.
The Pakistan-mediated diplomatic process has focused on ending hostilities between Tehran and Washington, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic and reaching a consensus on Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said a large portion of the proposed text has already been agreed upon, while accusing the US of slowing progress through shifting positions and contradictory statements.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reiterated his demand Saturday for the destruction of 10 buildings in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district for every rocket fired at Israel from Lebanon. In a post on the US social media company X, Smotrich referred to negotiations between the US and Iran, and claimed that Hezbollah should not be allowed to exploit the situation to attack northern Israel.
He argued that every rocket or drone attack targeting Israel should be met with the bombing of 10 buildings in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut. He demanded that the action be carried out “immediately tonight”. The Israeli military, meanwhile, said sirens were activated in several communities in northern Israel following rocket fire from Lebanon.
It said the rockets targeted Israeli forces operating in occupied areas of southern Lebanon and claimed that no injuries were reported.
Israeli media also reported earlier that a drone launched from Lebanon crossed the border, triggering sirens in two communities in northern Israel.
Also, a cyberattack disrupted services at four major Iranian banks, though no customer data was compromised, the country’s banking coordination council said on Sunday, according to state media.
The council said the attack targeted a shared communications infrastructure used by Bank Melli, Bank Tejarat, Bank Saderat and the Export Development Bank of Iran, prompting technical teams to implement protective measures and temporarily affecting some banking services.
It said no unauthorised access to customer information had occurred and no data had been deleted, adding that recovery efforts were underway to restore normal operations.
Qatari delegation in Tehran
A Qatari delegation headed by an advisor to the country’s foreign minister arrived in Tehran on Sunday to advance negotiations between Iran and the US, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA.
The Iranian news agency Mehr also reported that the Qatari delegation met with Iranian officials “to review the status of the diplomatic process”.
No further details were disclosed regarding the content of the discussions.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the 12-day war launched by Israel in June 2025 demonstrated the unity and resilience of the Iranian people, IRNA news agency reported.
In a message marking the first anniversary of the conflict on Saturday, Pezeshkian paid tribute to those martyred during the imposed war and said Israel had miscalculated by assuming attacks on senior military figures and strategic facilities would weaken the nation and destabilise the Islamic Republic.
The president said the resistance of the Iranian people, together with the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and the preparedness of the Armed Forces, prevented those objectives from being realised and ultimately compelled the adversary to accept a ceasefire.
Describing the conflict as a symbol of national solidarity, Pezeshkian said Iranians from different political backgrounds and viewpoints had stood together in defence of the country.
He also praised citizens for their patience amid economic difficulties over the past year, saying his administration had continued addressing public concerns despite operating under severe pressures.
“The government did not neglect people’s problems even for a moment,” he said, adding that officials had worked continuously to reduce hardships and find solutions to the country’s challenges.