Iran on Monday said that it is suspending peace talks with the United States to end the three month old conflict in West Asia over Israel’s continued offensive in Lebanon, according to Tehran’s state media.
The indirect talks between Washington and Tehran have been continuing since the ceasefire came into effect on April 8, and Pakistan has been mediating the negotiations. Reports have suggested that a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) is being reviewed by both nations.
Protesting regional violations
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is close to IRGC, reported that Tehran would stop “talks and the exchange of texts through a mediator” given the “continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon.”
The report quoted Iranian officials saying that Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon was included in the terms of the ceasefire signed in April with the US, which the Islamic Republic said was being violated “on all fronts.”
Threats of total maritime blockade
Tasnim further reported that Iran and its “resistance front” is planning to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and look to “activate” other fronts in the region, including the Bab el-Mandem strait, which is located near the coast of Yemen across the Arabian peninsula.
Warnings to northern Israel
Iran’s state TV also reported that there’s a possibility that the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington could end over Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon.
The Islamic Republic’s central military command said, “If Israel carries out an attack on Beirut, we warn residents of northern Israel to leave if they don’t want to be harmed.”
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Emergency UN security council deliberations
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the war in Lebanon on Monday after the Israeli military seized a medieval castle which is located far north of the border between Tel Aviv and Beirut.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the army to launch strikes at Hezbollah’s “terror headquarters” in Beirut.
