Iran has suspended high-stakes negotiations with the United States in protest of Israel’s expanding military campaign in Lebanon, adding new uncertainty to efforts aimed at ending the three-month war and preventing a wider regional conflict.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported Monday that “The Iranian negotiating team will suspend ‘talks and the exchange of texts through mediators,’” as Tehran accused Washington of enabling Israeli military action in Lebanon.
Iran Warns Israel Over Lebanon Attacks
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday that Tehran may respond if Israeli attacks continue.
“Over the past two days, we have seriously pursued efforts to stop Israel’s attacks. If these crimes continue, we will not only suspend the negotiation process, but we will also stand against the Zionist regime,” Ghalibaf said, according to the state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency. “If an agreement is reached to end the war between Iran and the United States, it will include a halt to attacks on all fronts, especially in Lebanon.”
Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry also accused the U.S. of responsibility for renewed hostilities, saying Washington “bears direct responsibility both for the violations of the ceasefire against Iran and for the violations committed by the Zionist regime against Lebanon.”
Trump Says Hezbollah and Israel Agreed to Stop Shooting
President Donald Trump said Monday on Truth Social that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives from Hezbollah, claiming both sides had agreed to stop attacks.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump wrote. “Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.”
Later, Trump wrote, “I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi!” He added, “Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!”
The Lebanese Embassy in Washington said Hezbollah had accepted a U.S. proposal “for a mutual cessation of attacks.” The embassy said Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs would stop if Hezbollah halted attacks on Israel, with the ceasefire later expanding across Lebanon.
Netanyahu Signals Beirut Strikes Remain Possible
Netanyahu later posted on X that Israel would still strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks continued.
“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,” Netanyahu wrote. “This remains our position. At the same time, the IDF will continue operating as planned in southern Lebanon.”
Iranian Parliament national security commission head Ebrahim Azizi also warned of escalation. “If the attacks against Lebanon do not stop completely, the consequences will be severe for the Zionist regime and U.S. forces in the region,” he wrote on X. “They are fully aware that this is not an empty threat, and we are prepared for a military response.”
Trump claimed, without evidence, that “Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Tasnim also reported that Tehran would consider closing the Strait of Hormuz and choking other waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Esmail Ghaani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, said armed groups allied with Tehran would “take action to activate other fronts and make the traffic situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait comparable to that of the Strait of Hormuz.”
