Iran has suspended indirect negotiations with the United States and threatened to completely close the Strait of Hormuz, saying Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon have violated the ceasefire conditions that Tehran believes should apply across the region.
According to Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, Iranian negotiators have stopped exchanging messages with Washington through mediators and will not resume talks until Iran’s demands regarding Lebanon and Gaza are met.
Oil prices rose sharply on Monday, with Brent crude gaining more than 6% after reports of Iran’s latest position.
Tasnim reported that Iran’s decision was prompted by Israel’s continued military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even after a ceasefire announced earlier this year.
“Given the continuing crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team is suspending dialogues and exchange of texts through mediators,” the agency reported.
Iran has repeatedly argued that any ceasefire agreement must cover not only direct hostilities between Iran and the United States but also actions by Washington’s regional allies.
Tasnim said Iranian officials have demanded an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a full Israeli withdrawal from areas occupied in southern Lebanon.
It also reported that Iran and allied groups across the region have agreed on a strategy that includes completely blocking the Strait of Hormuz and activating other fronts, including around the Bab El Mandeb Strait.
The agency said the measures are intended to pressure Israel and its supporters over ongoing military operations.
The Bab El Mandeb Strait, located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is a key maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal trade route.
Analysts have noted that if Yemen’s Houthi movement becomes more directly involved in the conflict, the Bab El Mandeb could become a major focus because of its importance to global shipping and energy flows.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi linked developments in Lebanon directly to the future of the ceasefire.
“The ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The U.S. and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” he wrote on X.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also involved in negotiations with the United States, accused Washington of violating the ceasefire through its blockade of Iranian ports and by supporting Israeli operations in Lebanon.
U.S. Central Command said it carried out strikes against targets in southern Iran after Iran shot down an American drone. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later said it attacked a U.S. military base in the region.
CENTCOM later said it intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting U.S. forces in Kuwait and reported no American casualties.
The latest incidents have added pressure to the ceasefire that both sides agreed to earlier this year.
Despite Iran’s announcement, U.S.
President Donald Trump said discussions with Tehran were continuing.
Trump said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of Hezbollah and that both sides had agreed to stop attacking each other.
Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli military to strike Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, a Hezbollah stronghold, in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon.
Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance said last week that Washington was close to reaching a preliminary agreement with Iran. According to reports, the U.S. submitted a revised proposal to Tehran over the weekend containing additional demands.
Trump has also said he would consider lifting the U.S. blockade affecting Iran’s maritime trade if Tehran surrendered its enriched uranium and agreed not to impose tolls on ships using the Strait of Hormuz. Iran rejected those conditions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the blockade is lifted and the war ends permanently.
References: Middle East Eye, MoneyControl
