Iran Accuses Israel of Seeking Permanent War After Lebanon Strikes Kill 47
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused Israel of seeking a 'permanent war,' following comments by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Ben Gvir had stated that 'a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep' after four Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon.
In a post on social media platform X, Araghchi wrote: 'This is not a rant by a random genocidal lunatic. It's a public post by the national security minister of the Israeli regime. The genocidal death cult headquartered in Tel Aviv is a threat to all of humanity. It threatens all humans. Its only interest is permanent war.'
The remarks came amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, which has disrupted diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli airstrikes and bombardments killed at least 47 people and wounded 97 others in Lebanon on Friday.
Officials said talks between Washington and Tehran were postponed on Friday after intense exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah. This raised concerns about an early agreement aimed at ending the conflict involving Iran.
Later, a US official reported that Israel and Hezbollah agreed to renew their ceasefire after the fresh violence in Lebanon had put the fragile arrangement under pressure.
The clashes also affected planned discussions in Switzerland involving US Vice President JD Vance, which were intended to advance talks between the US and Iran.
US President Donald Trump has recently shown increasing frustration with Israel, despite being one of its strongest supporters. He called for a 'complete ceasefire on all fronts' on Thursday and criticised the impact of Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
'When two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don't have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly they could do a better job,' Trump said at the G7 summit in France on Wednesday.
Vance also criticised hardline members of the Israeli government who opposed the Iran agreement, telling them to 'wake up and smell the reality'.
'Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,' Vance said at a White House briefing. 'If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.'
Trump also pushed back against criticism of the Iran deal, saying Tehran had entered negotiations because of pressure from Washington.
'We didn't meet out of desperation, Iran did,' Trump said on Truth Social, responding to Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei's claim that Trump had acted 'out of desperation' to secure the deal.
Trump added that the US would continue with the 60-day period for negotiations on a longer-term agreement. 'They get no money, not ten cents!'
Facing criticism from both Republican hawks and Democrats over sanctions relief and a proposed $300 million reconstruction fund for Iran, Trump defended the deal and said Iran had been weakened.
'How stupid can some people be???' he wrote in another social media post.
