U.S. Tells Iran Israel Will Not Escalate Lebanon Strikes, Report Says

The Trump administration is trying to salvage nuclear talks with Iran by sending Tehran a direct message aimed at calming tensions, CNN reported. According to a source familiar with the matter, Washington told the Iranians that Israel will not continue escalating its strikes in Lebanon.

One source told CNN that when asked whether the United States would provide guarantees, he replied that Hezbollah violated the ceasefire, Israel agreed to show restraint, and that message was passed to Iran. “Now it is up to Hezbollah to stop,” he said.

The report comes as Tehran has demanded assurances that the fighting in Lebanon will end before the planned talks in Switzerland can go ahead. The meetings, expected to include U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and other senior American officials, were thrown into doubt, and Vance’s trip, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed because of the uncertainty.

The American effort follows a particularly tense week. After an agreement between Washington and Tehran that was supposed to end the conflict across all fronts, Hezbollah carried out an attack that killed four IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon. Israel responded with a broad wave of strikes on Friday. Despite the exchange, an Israeli source told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not planning further retaliation against Hezbollah for now, and it remains unclear whether the U.S. message will satisfy Iran or help set a new date for the talks.