Iran has warned that it would respond if Israel expands its military actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as Tehran signalled optimism over ongoing negotiations with the US in Switzerland, according to reports.
“If Israel violates the memorandum of understanding in any format, including by attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran will respond,” Al-Jazeera quoted Ali Bahreini, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, as saying.
The warning comes amid heightened tensions in the region and follows continued Israeli operations in Lebanon. Despite the sharp rhetoric, Bahreini struck a positive note on diplomatic engagement, saying discussions had made progress. "Our colleagues continue to discuss in very good talks yesterday at the technical level," he said.
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Two working groups will be established in the coming days to negotiate the removal of sanctions on Iran and address issues related to Tehran's nuclear programme. Discussions on the Strait of Hormuz will initially take place between Iran and Oman before parallel talks begin with parties to the memorandum of understanding, according to Bahreini.
Bahreini also said threats by US President Donald Trump put the latest round of talks in Switzerland at risk. Shortly after negotiations began on Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” referring to Hezbollah. “If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder,” he added.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Bahreini said Iran would continue negotiations with Washington as long as the US demonstrated a willingness to engage constructively. He added that negotiators were attempting to resolve all provisions of the memorandum of understanding before moving on to the nuclear issue.
ALSO READ: Trump Warns US Can Reimpose Hormuz Blockade; Iran Says Strait Is Under Its Watch
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