TEHRAN — Iran said on Monday it would halt indirect exchanges and text-sharing with the US through mediators in protest at Israel’s expanded ground assault in Lebanon, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. According to the agency, the decision was taken in response to what it described as ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon, which Iran considers one of the conditions underpinning broader ceasefire arrangements in the region. Tasnim said the Iranian negotiating team would halt “talks and exchanges of texts through mediators” until its demands regarding Gaza and Lebanon are met. “Given the continuing crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon was one of the preconditions for the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon, the Iranian negotiating team is suspending dialogues and exchange of texts through a mediator,” Tasnim reported, citing an official statement. The report said Iranian officials and negotiators have stressed the need for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a full Israeli withdrawal from areas occupied in Lebanon. “As long as Iran’s and the resistance front’s position on these issues is not addressed, there will be no talks,” Tasnim said. The outlet also reported that Iran and allied groups in the so-called resistance axis have decided to prepare responses to Israeli attacks and to consider opening additional fronts. According to the report, measures under consideration include the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of other fronts, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as a means of pressuring Israel and its supporters. Türkey, meanwhile, strongly condemned Israel’s expansion of its occupation in Lebanon, saying the move threatens regional stability and deepens the humanitarian crisis. In a written statement on Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Israel was pursuing policies similar to those seen in the second year of genocide in Gaza. “We condemn in the strongest terms Israel’s expansion of its occupation in Lebanon. It appears that the Netanyahu government, as it has done in Gaza, aims to make the areas it occupies in Lebanon uninhabitable and force Lebanese people into permanent displacement. “Through its expansionist and aggressive policies, Israel is targeting efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region and further worsening the humanitarian situation,” the ministry said. The statement called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to take concrete steps without delay to ensure that Israel ends its attacks and occupation in Lebanon.
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