Netanyahu says he and Trump agree Iran deal must fully end nuclear threat
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US President Donald J. Trump defended ongoing negotiations with Iran, calling it more professional and productive — sharply contrasting them with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama.
He also insisted the current talks are proceeding deliberately with the US maintaining leverage through a naval blockade.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Hezbollah in a statement Sunday of trying to plunge Lebanon "back into chaos."
Rubio denounced what he called Hezbollah's "reckless call to overthrow Lebanon's democratically elected government" and said the pro-Iran armed group was "actively trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos and destruction."
Lebanon's health ministry said two people including a paramedic from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee were killed Sunday in Israeli strikes on the south that also wounded six other rescuers.
"Successive Israeli enemy strikes on the town of Arab Salim in the Nabatieh district killed two people including a paramedic from the Health Committee and wounded 10, including two Committee paramedics and four others from the Risala association," a ministry statement said, condemning an "ongoing series of attacks on the health and emergency sector in south Lebanon".
The Risala Scouts association rescuers are affiliated with the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement.
US President Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social that any potential deal with Iran would be 'good and proper,' contrasting it with what he described as the Obama-era agreement, which he said gave Iran 'massive amounts of cash' and a 'clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon.'
Trump said the current negotiations are 'the exact opposite,' adding that the agreement is not yet fully negotiated and warning critics not to speculate on details that have not been finalised.
He also said past leaders “should have solved this problem many years ago,” adding: 'I don’t make bad deals.'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told The New York Times on Sunday that an agreement with Iran had garnered regional support but a nuclear deal couldn't be achieved "in 72 hours on the back of a napkin."
His comments came after US President Donald Trump told his negotiators "not to rush into a deal" with Iran to end the three-month war.
"So right now, we have seven or eight countries in the region that are endorsing this approach, and we're prepared to move forward on this approach," he said.
CNN is reporting that no US–Iran deal is expected to be signed today, citing a senior administration official who said key details of a potential deal are still being negotiated.
Another official told the network that Iran has committed to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and disposing of its stockpile of enriched uranium, although final terms have yet to be confirmed.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem expressed hope on Sunday for an agreement between his group's backer Iran and the United States and that Lebanon would be part of its terms.
"God willing, this agreement will be finalised and there are signs of its completion, and accordingly that we too will be among those included in this agreement - an agreement of a full cessation of hostilities," he said in a televised address.
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that "a memorandum of understanding (MOU) would first be announced, stressing an end to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon", while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Donald Trump had reaffirmed his support for Israel's right to defend itself against threats, including from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday again urged Lebanese authorities to abandon direct talks with Israel, ahead of a fourth round of such discussions in Washington early next month.
"Direct negotiations are completely unacceptable and are a pure gain for Israel," he said. Addressing Lebanese authorities, he added: "Abandon the direct negotiations and do not give to America so that it gives to Israel... don't be with them and stab us in the back."
The United States is obstructing certain clauses of a potential agreement, including provisions related to the release of Iran’s frozen assets according to Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim.
The report said this means there is still a possibility the agreement could be “cancelled,” as negotiations remain ongoing and key issues remain unresolved.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Sunday that his group's disarmament was unacceptable and amounted to "annihilation", as Lebanon prepares for a new round of direct talks with Israel in Washington early next month.
"Disarmament means stripping Lebanon of its defensive capability and the capability of the resistance (Hezbollah) and this people, paving the way for annihilation," he said in a televised address, adding: "Disarmament is annihilation and we cannot accept it."
A state monopoly on weapons demanded by Lebanese authorities "at this stage is aimed at targeting the resistance and is an Israeli project", he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump had reaffirmed his support for Israel's right to defend itself against threats on all fronts, including from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"President Trump reiterated Israel's right to defend itself against threats on all fronts, including in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a statement following a conversation between the two leaders on Saturday night.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi has received a verbal message from Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi during a meeting with visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and a diplomatic delegation in Muscat.
