TEHRAN \/ WASHINGTON(National Times)- The delicate diplomatic process keeping hopes for peace between Iran and the US seemed to teeter on Monday after Tehran and Washington offered diverging assessments of the status of negotiations, with Israel\u2019s expanding front in Lebanon proving to be the main spoiler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saying that it considered the ceasefire violated \u201con all fronts\u201d after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on Beirut, Tehran accused the US of violating the ceasefire and said it had suspended indirect negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement was shrugged off by President Donald Trump, who said talks with Iran were moving forward at a \u201crapid pace\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Initially, Trump said he was not aware whether Iran had suspended the talks. He then told CNBC<\/em> that he did not care if the talks were over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf they\u2019re over, they\u2019re over. If they\u2019re not, you know, I think they took too much time. Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring,\u201d he told CNBC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But soon afterwards, he moved swiftly to allay Iranian concerns over the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only did he speak to his ally Netanyahu, but also claimed to have exchanged views with Hezbollah through intermediaries \u2014 a first for a US president \u2014 to stop the fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere will be no troops going to Beirut, and any troops that are on their way have already been turned back\u201d, he posted on Truth Social, adding that Hezbollah had also agreed to stop attacking Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Lebanese official told Reuters<\/em> that Hezbollah had informed the US, through Lebanon\u2019s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, that it was willing to halt attacks on northern Israel in exchange for Israel sparing Beirut and its suburbs from any strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon after, President Trump announced on his Truth Social website that the talks with Iran were ongoing at a rapid pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ceasefire violation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the ceasefire violation on one front was akin to violations on all fronts. \u201cViolation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,\u201d he said on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, Iran\u2019s top negotiator Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of violating the ceasefire, saying the US naval blockade on Iran\u2019s ports and the escalation in Lebanon were \u201cclear evidence of US non-compliance with the ceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The war launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. It has also caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New fronts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the day, Iran warned of opening new fronts across the Gulf, including the Red Sea, if the ceasefire with the US collapsed. The Tasnim<\/em> news agency said Iran and the Resistance Front, which includes its allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, had set an agenda to completely block the strait and activate other fronts, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, to \u201cpunish\u201d Israel and its supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the Houthis, Iran\u2019s allies in Yemen, open a new front in the conflict, one obvious target would be the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen, a shipping chokepoint and narrow passageway that controls sea traffic towards the Suez Canal. Referring to Iran\u2019s demands on Lebanon, the Tasnim news agency said that \u201cthere will be no talks until Iran and the Resistance Front\u2019s views on this matter are met\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sporadic clashes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before tensions escalated due to Lebanon, Iran and the US traded blows despite the ceasefire. The US military said it had, over the weekend, struck Iranian air defences, a ground control station and two drones that were threatening ships after \u201caggressive Iranian actions\u201d, including shooting down a US drone over international waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The IRGC said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the US in response to an attack on southern Iran. It did not identify the base, but Kuwait activated air defences on Monday and denounced<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iranian missile and drone attacks, which it said were undermining efforts to reduce tensions in the region. US forces intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait late on Sunday, the US military said on Monday, adding that no American personnel were harmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Separately, two explosions struck a cargo vessel in the Gulf about 40 nautical miles southeast of Iraq\u2019s Umm Qasr, one of which was caused by a drone attack, Iraqi officials said on Monday. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dar-Araghchi call<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amid the uncertainty plaguing the peace process, Mr Araghchi expressed appreciation for Pakistan\u2019s \u201cconstructive role in regional diplomacy\u201d, and requested Islamabad to continue its efforts to help facilitate de-escalation in the region and maintain the ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The comments came in a phone call with Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, where both men discussed concerns about the sustainability of the ceasefire currently in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a statement by the Foreign Office, \u201cFM Araghchi (in his call with Dar) expressed serious concern over recent developments in the region, including ceasefire violations in Lebanon by Israel and the orders by the Israeli government regarding a potential attack in parts of Beirut\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Dar also spoke with his Egyptian counterpart to discuss regional tensions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TEHRAN \/ WASHINGTON(National Times)- The delicate diplomatic process keeping hopes for peace between Iran and the US seemed to teeter on Monday after Tehran and Washington offered diverging assessments of the status of negotiations, with Israel\u2019s expanding front in Lebanon proving to be the main spoiler. Saying that it considered the ceasefire violated \u201con all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n