Iran halted indirect ceasefire talks with the United States in protest of continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza, as a ceasefire to the Iran War entered its 55th day on Monday.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, citing unnamed Iranian officials, said Monday that “there will be no dialogue until…the immediate halt of [Israel’s] aggressive and brutal military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, and the necessity of a full withdrawal of [Israel] from occupied areas in Lebanon.” Tasnim also reported that Iran had placed on its agenda the full closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of additional fronts, including to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in order to punish Israel “and its backers.”
Iranian officials said that Israeli strikes on Lebanon and the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz constitute violations of the Iran War ceasefire. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted Monday to X reaffirming Iran’s stated position that “the ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” adding that a “violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts.” Iranian Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf likewise said on Monday that “the naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon” by Israel “are clear evidence of U.S. noncompliance with the ceasefire,” adding that “every choice has a price, and the bill comes due.”
President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social in the early hours of Monday morning that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” adding “just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end — It always does!”
Iran and the U.S. exchanged fire over the weekend, with the U.S. Central Command saying it struck “radar and command and control sites for drones” along the Strait of Hormuz, on Goruk and Qeshm Island. The U.S. says those strikes came in response to Iran downing a U.S. MQ-1 drone earlier in the week over international waters, though Iran argues the drone was over Iranian territorial waters when it was shot down.
Iran’s IRGC said it attacked a U.S. military base in Kuwait with ballistic missiles in response to those American strikes.
While Iran reaffirmed its red line that an end to the Iran War and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is contingent upon a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel announced an expansion of its campaign in Lebanon, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering airstrikes on Beirut and the IDF issuing fresh evacuation orders for Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported that Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon raised the death toll to 3,433 civilians killed since March 2. The IDF said several Hezbollah drones attacked northern Israel on Monday, with no injuries reported.
The price of Brent Crude oil surged following the news of suspended peace talks, reaching above $97 on Monday morning. AAA reported the national average price of regular gas at $4.32.
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