Iran Suspends Negotiations with US, Demands Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon

Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported today that Iran has suspended negotiations with the United States to protest Israel's actions in Lebanon. The report stated: 'The Israeli regime continues to launch attacks in Lebanon, which was one of the prerequisites for a ceasefire. Now, with the ceasefire violated on all fronts including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team has suspended talks and document exchanges through intermediaries.' On February 28 this year, the US joined Israel in launching military operations against Iran, and the conflict quickly engulfed the Middle East. Since the ceasefire in early April, the two countries have engaged in sporadic skirmishes, and ceasefire negotiations remain unresolved. According to today's report by Tasnim, Iran demands that Israel immediately stop the war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and that the Israeli military fully withdraw from Lebanon. The report further stated: 'There will be no negotiations until the positions of Iran and the resistance camp on these matters are satisfied.' Tasnim added that Iran and its allied armed groups in the region have included the 'total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of other fronts' on their agenda, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea. This area has previously seen attacks on passing ships by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. CNN has contacted the White House for comment. Earlier today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to attack the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. This area is a key stronghold for the Lebanese political and military organization Hezbollah, which is a member of the 'Axis of Resistance,' a coalition of groups supported by Iran across the Middle East. An Israeli official told CNN that plans for the attack on Beirut had been coordinated with the US.