Planned talks on implementing a US-Iran deal off
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. We go to this high-profile signing ceremony in Switzerland to seal the peace deal between America and Iran, which was called off at the last minute, despite the US Vice President J.D. Vance and his team being packed and ready to travel. So what does all of this mean for the conflict in the Middle East? Well, I'm joined now by Sky News Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons. Good morning, Adam. Good morning, Clare. Do we know why the big signing ceremony was stopped?
Why was the US-Iran signing ceremony in Switzerland called off?
We don't. We have an idea, which is that Iran appears to have pulled out on the basis that Israel had attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon. And it would appear that the Americans believe that that is one basis of it. And also that technical talks need to be carried out as well. But to be honest, I think J.D. Vance, as you said, was packed and ready to go. And it is yet another hiccup.
This was inevitable because in the 14 paragraphs or points, there was no mention of Israel or Hezbollah. That was always going to be an outstanding issue and that was likely to carry on. So it's bizarre to think that the Iranians couldn't see that that was going to be an issue.
It was completely predictable, and it was naive of anyone to think that it wouldn't trip up at some point. I'm not sure that anyone predicted that it would get to be such an obstacle so quickly. But equally, the escalation in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, in fact, 12 hours, to be honest with you, has been enormous in a nutshell. It would appear that a Hezbollah drone blew up an Israeli tank, killing four soldiers inside it. Following on from an Israeli soldier killed a couple of days ago, Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes and has killed a significant number of people. The last estimate was 18 in southern Lebanon and has also attacked the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. So the idea that there is peace
in Lebanon or that the conflict has stopped in any meaningful way is right now for the birds. So whether or not Iran's action is because of this or whether this is part of a negotiating tactic, we know that the Iranians have been extraordinarily successful in their negotiations. It is frankly not clear at the moment. What is clear is exactly what you say, Claire, is that the idea that Lebanon would simply subside and that this mass of Israeli forces would withdraw completely. Simply because Donald Trump told them to do. Well, if anyone thought that was going to happen, then palpably it isn't.
I mean, this wasn't just a signing ceremony, was it? This was where the 60 day period of intense talks to work out the finer details or how to reach the end point would be negotiated through. So do we have any indication as to what happens next?
Well, I think the signing has already happened.
What factors contributed to Iran's withdrawal from the peace deal?
Donald Trump signed this document in Versailles, and the Iranians appear to have already signed it. In fact, it may even have been electronically signed last weekend. So the question of when these 60 days start, I assume, and it is an assumption, that we are starting those 60 days now anyway, because both sides are talking about technical talks. I don't think this is necessarily... bringing an end to the process that Iran and the United States have put in place. I think it's probably a bit of theatre, a bit of negotiating tactics, but I think both the US and Iran want this deal to hold. But one thing that has always been crystal clear is that the US didn't The United States didn't, nor did Israel, want Hezbollah and Lebanon to be included in this deal.
Iran did. Now, obviously, we know Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy. At the moment, Hezbollah is a pretty exhausted organization and does not want this conflict to be played out. Israel never wanted... Americans to include Lebanon in this deal. And it may well be that you're seeing a lot of these tensions. Israel doesn't want to stop its fighting in Lebanon. It feels, to an extent, embarrassed and humiliated by the deal that the U.S. has done and by the rhetoric from Trump and Vance.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:36
2
Why was the US-Iran signing ceremony in Switzerland called off?
0:36–3:21
3
What factors contributed to Iran's withdrawal from the peace deal?
3:21–8:35
4
How does the escalation of conflict in Lebanon impact the peace negotiations?
8:35–16:03