Iran war: Vance says deal close but ‘not there yet’

Israeli and Lebanese military officials are set to hold security talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid escalating cross-border violence and intensifying Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

The talks, mediated by the United States, will be the first direct security discussions between the two sides since the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted. A fourth round of broader US-brokered talks is expected early next week.

On the eve of the meeting at the Pentagon, Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and the southern city of Tyre, killing at least 14 people, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israel’s military said Thursday that it had struck more than 135 Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon, including rocket launch sites and military infrastructure in Tyre.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the military to “deepen our operation in Lebanon” while continuing negotiations aimed at disarming Hezbollah and securing a peace agreement.

Netanyahu vowed earlier this week to “crush” the Iran-backed militant group.

Hezbollah has condemned the talks, accusing Lebanon’s leadership of negotiating “at the cost of their own people’s blood.”

Beirut lacks leverage to force an Israeli withdrawal or end the war, Hezbollah said.

The US military said no US aircraft were shot down near the city of Bushehr in Iran.

“No US aircraft were shot down. All US air assets are accounted for,” the US Central Command said in a post on X.

Early on Friday, Iran’s state media claimed to have downed a “hostile aircraft” in the southern province of Bushehr.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that the United States and Iran had made good progress toward a ceasefire extension deal, but President Donald Trump is not yet ready to approve it.

Hours after US sources said Washington and Tehran had agreed on a deal, Vance told reporters that Washington was “not there yet” on the agreement with Iran. Vance, however, added that the parties were close and that the US was in a position to substantially set back Tehran’s nuclear program.

According to Vance, there were ​a couple of sticking points in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran concerning its stockpile of enriched ⁠uranium and the question of further ​enrichment.

“It’s hard to say exactly when or ​if the president ‌is going to sign the MOU. We’re going back and ​forth on ⁠a couple of language points,” Vance said.

“I can’t ⁠guarantee that ​we’re going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it. We’ve made a lot of progress here,” he said.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to make progress and the president will be in a position where he can endorse the agreement, but obviously that’s still TBD (to be determined),” Vance added.

Welcome to DW’s ongoing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.

According to unnamed sources who spoke with the US outlet Axios, as well as international news agencies, US and Iranian negotiators have agreed to extend the current ceasefire for another 60 days.

However, the deal is still awaiting the approval of the US president and Iranian supreme leader. 

According to the reports, the deal would restart nuclear talks and allow free passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis.