Iran criticizes US-Israel "good cop, bad cop" strategy after Beirut strike

The US and Israel’s “good cop, bad cop” strategy for diplomacy while allowing continued Israeli attacks is outdated, Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday, shortly after a deadly strike on Lebanon.

At least three people were killed in the Israeli attack on southern Beirut earlier in the day, just ahead of an anticipated US-Iran agreement, which Tehran has long insisted should include an end to hostilities in Lebanon. The proposed agreement has reportedly been viewed by many Israeli officials as a capitulation to Iran.

“The Zionists’ invasion of Dahiyeh has once again shown that America either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so,” Ghalibaf said on X.

By giving the green light to the regime, you cannot gain concessions. The game of good cop and bad cop is outdated. If you do not have the will and ability to fulfill your obligations, it is not possible to talk about moving forward.

According to Lebanese state news agency NNA, the Israeli strike killed at least three people and injured 15 others. The IDF claimed to have been targeting a Hezbollah command center.

The attack “should not have happened,” US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social, calling on Hezbollah and Israel to halt their tit-for-tat exchanges.

“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down,” he wrote.

Just a day earlier, he announced that the US and Iran would ink a deal on Sunday that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and decide the fate of Tehran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Saturday that the agreement “[will] not happen tomorrow.” He didn’t rule out that “it could take place in the coming days.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry also stressed that the country’s fissile material and nuclear program would not be discussed at this stage and that the negotiations would focus on ending hostilities and “the issues of Lebanon.”

Earlier in June, Iran and Israel exchanged tit-for-tat strikes for the first time since a ceasefire was reached in April. The escalation followed an Israeli strike on southern Beirut.