Iran threatened on Sunday to retaliate against the US and Israel targets in the region after fresh Israeli air raids on Beirut‘s southern suburbs, further dimming hopes for a lasting peace as the Middle East war reached its 100th day.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his military had struck what he described as a militant command center in the city’s Dahiyeh district, citing Hezbollah fire into northern Israel. The area has been hit only twice since mid-April, making Sunday’s strike a significant escalation.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also serves as Tehran’s chief negotiator with Washington, accused the US of giving a green light for the raid. He said the strike, combined with an ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports, made American and Israeli assets across the region “legitimate targets.” Iran’s parliamentary security spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei echoed the warning, promising “a decisive and painful response.”
Additionally, US Central Command (CENTCOM)reported destroying two Iranian drones threatening maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Tehran to fire missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait.
Diplomacy under strain
Despite the threats, diplomatic channels remain active. Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran on Saturday carrying messages from both Pakistan’s army chief and prime minister to Iran’s supreme leader.
Pakistani military chief Syed Asim Munir has played a central role in mediating between Tehran and Washington since an initial round of direct talks in Islamabad. Lebanon’s army chief separately visited Islamabad on Saturday in what one informed source described as a visit linked to the same mediation track.
Meanwhile, Iran’s military adviser Mohsen Rezaei called the negotiations “at a deadlock,” urging Trump to release some $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets as a confidence-building step. Trump rejected that precondition in a recorded interview aired on Sunday, saying any asset release would come only after a deal. US officials are also reportedly considering using those funds to compensate Gulf allies struck by Iranian missiles.
