Iran says it ‘would be dumb’ for US to let Netanyahu kill diplomacy 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that it would be “dumb” for the United States to allow Israel to jeopardise the regional ceasefire by continuing its intense attacks on Lebanon, which have killed hundreds of people since the truce came into effect.

On Thursday, Araghchi noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will resume on Sunday. He suggested that the Israeli leader has an ulterior motive for continuing the fighting.

“A region-wide ceasefire, incl in Lebanon, would hasten his jailing,” Araghchi wrote on social media.

He then added a message for the US, which has denied that Lebanon was included in the original ceasefire.

“If the US wishes to crater its economy by letting Netanyahu kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it,” Araghchi wrote.

His comment mirrors language used by US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday. Vance had warned against Iranians letting the ceasefire fall apart over Lebanon, saying, “We think that would be dumb, but that’s their choice.”

Since the ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, the disagreement over whether it applies to Lebanon has become a major threat to the future of the truce.

Iranian officials and media outlets have suggested that Tehran may respond militarily to the Israeli assault on Lebanon or block the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the ceasefire applies to Lebanon.

On Thursday, Trump said he told the Israeli government to scale back its operations in Lebanon.

“I spoke with Bibi [Netanyahu], and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” he told NBC News.

Vance also said on Wednesday that the Israelis agreed to “check themselves a little bit in Lebanon”.

But after one of the bloodiest days in Lebanon’s history, there appears to be no letup in the Israeli assault. The death toll from the recent Israeli bombardment has already exceeded 300 people.

Israel launched several new deadly attacks in Lebanon on Thursday, including a strike that killed four rescuers in the southern town of Borj Qalaouiye.

Israeli forces have also issued a displacement order for Beirut’s Jnah area, home to two of the largest hospitals in the country, as well as tens of thousands of residents and displaced people.

The US has a history of claiming that Israel has agreed to curb its military attacks, only to see further strikes unfold.

For example, in 2024, the administration of former President Joe Biden insisted for months that Israel was only launching a “limited” operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

But the Israeli military ultimately destroyed nearly every structure in Rafah — a scorched-earth strategy that Israeli officials now say they want to replicate in south Lebanon to ensure the permanent displacement of the population.

The conflict in Lebanon turned into an all-out war in early March, after Hezbollah fired rockets in response to Israeli strikes, as well as the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28.

Israel has launched near-daily attacks in Lebanon since a separate November 2024 ceasefire, including widespread attacks on civilian infrastructure.