Iran on Sunday cast fresh doubt on the future of ongoing negotiations with the United States, saying Israeli airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs had weakened confidence in Washington's ability to uphold commitments tied to a proposed regional peace agreement.
The comments came after Israel announced strikes targeting positions linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Beirut, an operation that Tehran said raised serious questions about the viability of continued diplomatic engagement with Washington.
Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the latest attack suggested that the United States was either unwilling or unable to ensure compliance with commitments made during talks aimed at ending months of conflict across the Middle East.
"The Zionists' aggression against Dahieh once again showed that the United States either lacks the will to implement its commitments or lacks the ability to do so," Ghalibaf wrote on X.
He added that if Washington could neither guarantee nor enforce its commitments, there was little reason to continue discussions along the current path.
The development marks a significant setback for diplomatic efforts that US President Donald Trump had suggested were nearing completion. Trump said on Saturday that an agreement with Iran could be signed as early as Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened immediately afterward.
However, Iranian officials have maintained that any comprehensive agreement must address not only tensions involving Iran but also the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Hezbollah remains engaged in hostilities with Israel.
A US official previously indicated that Lebanon was included in discussions surrounding the proposed agreement, while Pakistan, one of the mediators involved in the process, also suggested that a signing ceremony was under consideration.
Despite those expectations, Iranian media reported on Sunday that Tehran had yet to make a final decision on the deal. Fars News Agency, citing a source familiar with the negotiations, said no formal approval had been issued by Iranian authorities.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei had earlier stated that an agreement would not be signed on Sunday, though he noted that progress in the coming days remained possible.
Meanwhile, a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran to support mediation efforts and help advance discussions between the parties.
The status of the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations. Tehran has insisted on maintaining authority over transit arrangements in the strategic waterway, while Washington has opposed measures that would grant Iran exclusive control.
Another major sticking point concerns Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iranian officials insist the country's nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes, while the United States, Israel and several Western governments continue to express concerns over its potential military applications.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently said the country's enriched uranium should be diluted within Iran, while US officials have pushed for the material to be removed or destroyed under any final agreement.
On the ground, tensions continued to rise as Israel issued evacuation warnings for several villages in southern Lebanon before carrying out strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Lebanese state media reported that one of the strikes hit the Ghobeiry district, while Lebanon's civil defence agency said at least three people were killed and six others injured.
Israel's military also reported that three drones believed to have been launched by Hezbollah entered northern Israeli airspace on Sunday but caused no casualties.
The latest exchange of attacks has added further uncertainty to diplomatic efforts and intensified questions over whether a US-Iran agreement can still be achieved in the near term.