Trump Says Beirut Strike Delayed US-Iran Deal by Hours
President Trump tells Axios the Israeli airstrike that killed three in Beirut's southern suburbs Sunday delayed the US-Iran deal by hours, but signing remains on track.
Developing story — this page will be updated as information becomes available.
President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday that an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs had “delayed” the US-Iran agreement by hours, but said the deal remained on track to be signed Sunday. The strike, which Lebanon’s civil defense agency said killed three and wounded six, hit the Dahieh area as Tehran and Washington moved toward formalizing the bilateral memorandum under discussion in Geneva.
What we know
Israel’s military confirmed it carried out the strike on Sunday morning, saying it targeted Hezbollah “infrastructure”. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported at least three bodies were recovered and 15 people injured. The strike came as Trump publicly stated the US-Iran deal was expected to be signed Sunday, though Tehran has said the precise timing is not yet fixed.
Within hours, Trump posted on Truth Social that the Israeli attack was “unjustified” and “should not have happened,” calling for “no more attacks” by Israel or Hezbollah during what he described as a “special day” for the agreement. In a subsequent interview with Axios, Trump said the strike “shook it up” and pushed back the signing window, while insisting the framework would still be completed Sunday. Trump separately called for restraint in remarks reported by the Guardian.
Iran responded sharply. Iran’s top negotiator said Washington “lacks the will to fulfill its commitments” after the Beirut hit. An Iranian army official said the attack would “not go unanswered,” and Tehran later warned that a “strong response is coming.” Iran formally condemned the strike as a “terrorist crime.” The UN secretary-general also condemned the attack.
What we don’t know
The precise hour of any signing has not been confirmed. Earlier Sunday, Al Jazeera reported no signing ceremony was listed on Trump’s public schedule. Whether Tehran’s threatened “response” takes diplomatic or kinetic form, and whether it occurs before or after a signing, remains unresolved. This story is developing.
Context
The bilateral memorandum under negotiation is described by an Iranian official, via Reuters, as covering Strait of Hormuz transit and a phased sanctions ladder. The framework skips the JCPOA-era E3 architecture and is being hosted by Switzerland as a bilateral instrument. Trump had reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week to stand down on planned strikes while diplomacy advanced. Sunday’s Beirut hit, carried out hours before the announced signing window, is the most direct Israeli action against the diplomatic timeline since that report.
Tehran’s response posture matters because the signing tells markets have been watching — Iranian rhetoric on Hormuz, US naval posture, and oil pricing — were already on a knife edge before the Beirut strike.
What to watch
- Whether a Trump-Iran signing announcement comes Sunday evening Eastern time, or slips into Monday — the latter would carry the oil-trade cost of a weekend gap.
- The form of Iran’s “strong response” — IRGC statement, missile test, Hormuz harassment, or a delay in signing.
- Whether the White House issues a formal readout pressuring Israel to halt further strikes during the signing window.
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