Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that Tehran has suspended the exchange of messages with the US that was being done through Pakistan due to Israel’s continued war and its escalations in Lebanon.
“Given the continuing crimes of the Zionist regime 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 Tasnim report said.
When the initial ceasefire was announced by Pakistan, a statement that was reviewed by the US, it included an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, which never happened despite a nominal ceasefire being declared last month. The Tasnim report said that Iran was ready to fully close the Strait of Hormuz and take action in cooperation with its allies in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq in response to Israel’s continued attacks and ground invasion in Lebanon.
Iranian officials also released public statements warning that the US and Israel would be responsible for any escalations. “For immediate attention: The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.
“Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” Araghchi added.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has been involved in the negotiations with the US, also issued a post on X where he said Israel’s war in Lebanon, as well as the US blockade of Iranian ports, were a violation of the ceasefire.
“The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of US noncompliance with the ceasefire,” Ghalibaf said. “Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place.”
