Iran breaks peace talks with US over Israeli military action in Lebanon, Araghchi says violates ceasefire deal | Today’s news
Days after Israel stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah and targeted sites in Lebanon, Iran reportedly broke off talks with the United States to protest Israeli actions in Lebanon.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the development, adding: “Due to the continued attacks of the Israeli regime in Lebanon and given that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire – which is now being violated on all fronts, including Lebanon – the Iranian negotiating team is suspending the ‘talks’.”
Tehran called for an immediate end to Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon, along with a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from Beirut, the agency said, adding that “there will be no negotiations until Iran’s position and resistance on these matters are satisfied.”
It further said that the Islamic Republic and allied militant groups in the region have included on their agenda “the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of other fronts”, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have previously launched attacks on vessels passing through.
The development comes hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (local time) ordered the army to attack Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood, a southern suburb of the city that is a Hezbollah stronghold. An Israeli official told CNN that plans to strike Beirut were coordinated with the US.
This is a developing story. Further details were awaited.
