Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that the two sides were “inches away” from an agreement when Iran “encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade” from the U.S.
Israel’s escalating attacks on Lebanon, which have killed more than 2,000 people since March 2, have also threatened the possibility of a more lasting truce between the U.S. and Iran. Iran had earlier said that any cease-fire must extend to Lebanon and beyond, but Israel and the U.S. disagreed. Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors are set to meet in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to discuss “a pause in military activity if not a cease-fire,” Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Al Jazeera, although Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem reportedly urged Lebanon to cancel the meeting, calling the talks pointless.
Nuclear disagreement remains an obstacle
Among U.S. demands is that Iran abandon its nuclear program, which had been a sticking point in past talks towards a nuclear agreement, including negotiations that were interrupted by Israeli strikes on Iran last June and renewed talks in the days immediately before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Iranian officials previously said mistrust in the U.S. has been high ever since Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Barack Obama-negotiated Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
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