in Foreign policy, Government, International Situations, News 548 Words

Talks Postponed (Go Figure)

Israel said it did not like the deal with Iran and that they would wreck it as soon as possible.

Well that was quicker than I had thought….

Israel’s military said Friday its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Talks planned for Friday in Switzerland between Iran and the US, which Vice President JD Vance had been scheduled to attend, were postponed as the fighting intensified. Mediators worked to reschedule the meetings crucial for starting talks over a permanent end to the Iran war, with much of the attention focused on Lebanon, regional officials said.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Lebanon rose sharply. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported at least 18 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli military said were ongoing. Israel said four of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon, including a lieutenant colonel. An explosive drone attack hurt another five, it added.

  • Continued fighting in Lebanon could unravel the newly signed deal, which calls for an immediate halt to military operations “on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” where Israel has been battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, and for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
  • The deal aims to end the war and has reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, while bringing the US and Iran back to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear program. Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the agreement. Iran insists Israel must withdraw from the large swath of southern Lebanon it is occupying, but the wording of the interim deal doesn’t explicitly require that. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, has refused to withdraw. He said Thursday that Israeli forces will remain in a “security zone” of southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”
  • Two regional officials, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said mediators were focused on calming the fighting in Lebanon. One said Iran pulled out of the Switzerland meeting specifically over the fighting and Netanyahu’s comments, describing them as violating the interim deal between Iran and the US. Two other regional officials, similarly speaking on condition of anonymity, described Pakistan as being “stunned” by Iran’s decision not to go to the talks Friday.
  • The AP reports that Vance had been prepared to make an overnight flight Friday to meet with his Iranian counterparts at a mountainside resort in a tiny Swiss village and begin the technical talks. His staff and a small pack of journalists had even gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington in anticipation of the trip. Meanwhile, dozens of White House officials, advance staffers, and more media gathered in Switzerland to prepare for Vance’s anticipated arrival. “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the White House said in a statement after the trip was abruptly called off.

It will be interesting to see just how Donny takes his master plan of a deal will shape out while Israel continues it’s blood lust for civilian deaths in Lebanon.

Any thoughts on this turn of events?

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

18 thoughts on “Talks Postponed (Go Figure)”

  1. Zero surprise from me. Israel continuing in Lebanon to force Trump’s hand into resuming the bombing of Iran. Plus more insider trading on oil prices once that happens.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  2. Predictable, just as we discussed here in previous posts. Trump’s fallback plan is to shift blame onto J. D. Vance, his scapegoat of choice right now. There isn’t much Trump can do to rein-in Netanyahu, but I’m sure he’s considering some sort of retribution.

    More worrying is the larger geopolitical situation. The Russia-Ukraine war is really heating up, and the E.U. recently imposed another round of sanctions on Trump’s fascist buddy Putin. Put yourself in the Chinese leader’s shoes for a moment. Xi Jinping must see a badly embarrassed and weakened U.S., a thoroughly preoccupied Russia, an emboldened Middle East ally in Iran, potential allies in Europe, and wide-open opportunities for expansion in Southeast Asia and in Africa. If you were so aggressively minded, what would you do?

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    1. Your remark about the shift of blame makes me wonder if this could have something to do with the fact that there as been mumblings about Vance running for President. Of course, Fat Boy can’t run again, but as we know, ALL attention must be on him (unless, of course, its’ unflattering).

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    2. The Ukraine thing has been lost in the media….just as the plight of Gaza has disappeared. The media needs to keep us abreast on what is happening….I know that will not happen….but wishful thinking anyway. chuq

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    4. “The biggest immediate hurdle to the US-Iran deal appears to have gotten a little smaller. Multiple outlets, including CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, report that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a renewed ceasefire in Lebanon to take effect later Friday. The reports cite anonymous US officials and diplomats, and officials in Jerusalem have not yet confirmed. The truce was reportedly brokered by the US, Qatar, and Iran. ” chuq

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      1. That’s encouraging. I just read a new report about Egyptian and Pakistani officials announcing a meeting on Sunday in Cairo between mediators from Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. There was no mention of any officials from Hezbollah, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, or the U.S., so I’m not sure what significance it has. We’ll see.

        Apparently, Trump had a tense phone call with Netanyahu today after the Lebanese Health Ministry reported 47 killed and 97 wounded from Israeli attacks earlier today. I wonder what Trump said.

      2. I see some times that BiBi and Donny have an argument but all stays the same so they are minor at best. BiBi cannot let these conflicts go silent his freedom depends on a war. chuq

      3. From: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/20/at-least-five-killed-in-israeli-strikes-on-lebanon-despite-ceasefire.html

        Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 10 people on Saturday, hours after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, with Israel saying it was responding to projectiles fired by the Iran-backed group.

        Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones hit multiple locations in the south and the Bekaa Valley.

        An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, prompting strikes on what the official said were “Hezbollah targets”. Hezbollah has not claimed responsibility.

      4. I read some reports this morning and Israel is doing what it always does….uses self defense as an excuse to kill and maim.

        Even US intel knows that BiBi will do everything he can to destroy the agreement….
        https://archive.ph/BBS8L
        chuq

  3. There will never be peace in those regions… never has been for any length of time in the modern era and never will be because blood lust and killing are ingrained in their very makeup and is like an addictive drug for them ..

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  4. The only surprise is that it happened today and not tomorrow. “Big beautiful/s” things usually happen on Friday to inflate the markets. Israhell has its claws in deeper on this one.

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  5. While Trump and Netanyahu being pushed into a corner for their war crimes after launching their unnecessary, stupid, illegal war of aggression against the Iranian people can be seen as positive, people would be wise to remember the viciousness of cornered criminal animals.

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