Iran suspends US ceasefire talks, demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Iran has suspended talks with the United States towards a comprehensive ceasefire over increased Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, the regime-affiliated Tasnim News reported. 

A statement on Tasnim News said that “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 suspending ‘discussions and exchanges of texts through intermediaries.’” 

Specifically, the statement linked the ceasefire in Lebanon to the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, which Iranian authorities have recently stated is a necessary condition for achieving an agreement. 

The statement on Tasnim said that Iran would be unwilling to pursue any talks with the U.S. until Israel makes a “complete withdrawal from the occupied areas in Lebanon.” 

It also threatened to expand the conflict beyond the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to include the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea as well as a “complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.” 

“The Resistance Front and Iran have resolved to pursue the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of other fronts, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as part of their agenda to punish the Zionists and their supporters,” the statement read. 

This was an indirect threat to activate Tehran’s proxy group in Yemen, the Houthi rebels, who have, so far, stayed out of this current conflict. Around 14% of global maritime trade passes through the Bay of el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. 

Tasnim later ran a statement claiming that “Yemen’s Ansarullah Awaits Hezbollah’s Call to Join Anti-Zionist Battle.” 

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted to his social media account, stating, “The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” 

Abbas claimed a “violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts,” before adding, “The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.” 

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei responded to comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, calling for “the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without any conditions and in accordance with international law,” as part of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. 

Baghaei said that Iran’s ballistic missile program is non-negotiable. 

“European friends should update themselves on the Iranian missile issue, because we do not even talk at the media level about such issues that are related to defending Iran's sovereignty,” Baghaei said Monday in a press conference. 

The statements from Iranian media came after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us.” 

Trump also claimed that “it is MUCH tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate when political hacks keep negatively ‘chirping’ at levels never seen before.” 

The president told his detractors to “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end - It always does!” 

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it “successfully intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait” overnight. Just a few hours earlier, CENTCOM said U.S. forces conducted additional “self-defense strikes” against Iranian targets. 

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island this weekend,” the command said in a statement. 

CENTCOM claimed the strikes came in response to the downing of a “U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters.”

As the U.S. military officially retired the MQ-1 drone in favor of the more advanced MQ-9 Reaper nine years ago, it is unclear which service branch was operating it.   

At the same time, IDF Arabic Spokesman Avichai Adraee issued an evacuation notice for the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh, in southern Beirut. 

“The IDF warns residents of the Dahiyeh area in Beirut and calls on them to evacuate to preserve their safety,” Adraee posted to social media. “If the terrorist Hezbollah continues launching rockets toward Israeli cities and towns, the IDF will respond by targeting objectives in the southern Dahiyeh.” 

Several regime-affiliated Iranian social media accounts claimed that if the IDF carries out strikes in Beirut, the Islamic Republic could retaliate against Israel or call the Houthis to join the conflict in support of Hezbollah.