Tehran suspends talks with U.S. over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, Iranian media reports
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Monday suspended high-stakes talks with the United States to protest Israel’s expanding military offensive in Lebanon, according to government-aligned media.
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Semiofficial news agency Tasnim added that Tehran would consider a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route that carried a fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war, and choking other waterways including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with the aim of punishing Israel and its supporters.
“Due to the continuation of the Zionist regime’s actions in Lebanon and given that Lebanon was one of the preconditions of the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts … the Iranian negotiating team will suspend ‘talks and the exchange of texts through mediators,’” Tasnim reported.
The Iranian government did not comment on the report, although official statements are often transmitted through the media.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oil prices surged more than $6 per barrel on after Tasnim’s report.
The U.S. military and Iran exchanged strikes over the weekend and into Monday — the latest outburst of violence amid an ostensible ceasefire agreed to in early April.
Despite the truce, Israel has been pressing ahead with an offensive in Lebanon, with its forces marking their deepest incursion into the country in 26 years over the weekend. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, signalling further escalation of a war.
On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched the war that has since killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, as well as 13 U.S. service members. It has also sent global energy prices soaring after Iran responded by effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.
Negotiations over a broader agreement had been ongoing amid disagreements on several issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
