Iran suspends negotiations with US after Israeli attacks on Lebanon

Iran announced this Monday (1st) the suspension of peace negotiations with the United States after Israel increased attacks against Lebanon and ordered new bombings against the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Tehran stated that it will not resume mediated dialogue with Washington as long as the ceasefire in Lebanon continues to be violated and held the United States and Israel directly responsible for the military escalation in the region.

According to the Tasnim agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian negotiating team interrupted the exchange of messages with Washington after the Israeli offensive on Lebanese territory, considered by Tehran to be a direct violation of the truce agreements signed in April.

Iranian state television said continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon could lead to the definitive collapse of the ceasefire between Iran and the United States.

The Iranian government maintains that the truce cannot be treated separately from the conflict in Lebanon, where Israel has resumed attacks and deepened its military occupation in several areas in the south of the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that “a violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts” and stated that Washington and Tel Aviv will be held responsible for the consequences of the escalation.

The statements came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered new attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The offensive caused a new wave of displacement in Lebanon, a country that has already had more than a million people expelled from their homes since the start of the war. Israel claims that Hezbollah has violated the truce, while the Lebanese government and sectors of the international community denounce successive Israeli violations of the agreement.

The suspension of negotiations increases pressure on the Donald Trump government, which is trying to reach an agreement to end the war that began on February 28 after attacks launched jointly by the United States and Israel against Iran.

Despite ongoing indirect negotiations, Washington and Tehran have continued to exchange attacks in recent weeks.

Over the weekend, US Central Command said it had bombed Iranian air defense systems, radars and drones following the downing of a US MQ-1 drone over international waters.

In response, the Revolutionary Guard announced attacks against a base used by US forces. Kuwait reported that its defense systems intercepted missiles and drones after sirens sounded in several regions of the country.

The Tasnim agency also stated that Iran and its allies in the so-called “resistance front” are discussing increasing military pressure on strategic routes in the region, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, fundamental corridors for international trade in oil and goods.

According to the agency, Tehran conditions any resumption of negotiations on effective compliance with the ceasefire in Lebanon.

The tension is already having impacts on the international market. Following the news about the suspension of negotiations, oil prices soared by more than US$6 per barrel, reflecting fears of a worsening global energy crisis.

The spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baghaei, once again accused the United States of adopting contradictory positions in the negotiations and stated that Washington “constantly changes its demands”, which reinforces Iranian distrust of the North American willingness to end the conflict.

Trump, in turn, told NBC News that he had not yet received official confirmation about the suspension of negotiations, but stated that “remaining silent would be very good” and reiterated that the United States will maintain the blockade against Iranian ports.