Tehran: There are ominous signs of the US-Iran conflict returning to its full-fledged form.
Following a surge in Israel’s military offensives in Lebanon, Iran on Monday suspended all negotiations and indirect talks with the United States.
Tehran has also reportedly decided to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and “intensify other fronts”, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Tasnim news agency,
“In light of the ongoing crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and given that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire preconditions, and now this ceasefire has been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team is su
spending discussions and exchanges of texts through intermediaries,” Iranian state media reported.
“The immediate halt to the aggressive and brutal operations of the Zionist regime’s army in Gaza and Lebanon, and the necessity of the regime’s complete withdrawal from the occupied areas in Lebanon, have been emphasised by Iranian officials and negotiators, and as long as Iran’s and the resistance’s stance on this matter is not satisfied, there will be no dialogue,” it said.
The decision comes hours after its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a fresh warning to US President Donald Trump that Iran considers attacks in Lebanon as a violation of the US-Iran truce.
Araghchi said in a post on X that the ceasefire between Iran and the US covers all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue to strike the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
“The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” he warned.
What may have contributed to Iran’s stance is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his military to strike Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold. On Sunday, Israel captured the strategic Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon, 14.5 kilometres from the Israeli border, after days of fierce fighting in the area.