SRINAGAR: Iran has suspended indirect communication with the United States over a preliminary ceasefire understanding, amid escalating Israeli military strikes in Lebanon, according to the state-linked Tasnim News Agency.
Tasnim reported on Monday that the Iranian negotiating team has halted “talks and exchange of texts through mediation”, citing what it described as continued Israeli military action in Lebanon. The agency said the decision was taken in response to developments that Tehran views as violations of ceasefire conditions linked to the broader negotiation framework.
“Due to the continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and now this ceasefire has been violated on all fronts including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team will stop talks and exchange of texts through mediation,” Tasnim reported, quoting the statement.
Earlier in the day, senior Iranian officials warned that the escalation in Lebanon could impact ongoing diplomatic channels. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said any breach of what he described as a ceasefire framework would carry consequences for all parties involved.
“The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” Araghchi wrote on social media.
The suspension marks a setback in indirect communication efforts between Tehran and Washington, which had been aimed at shaping a preliminary arrangement to de-escalate wider regional tensions.
