Iran has halted its exchange of messages with the United States of America and threatened to completely block the Strait of Hormuz as well as the Bab-El-Mandeb on Monday in response to Israel’s Lebanon offensive. According to Iranian media reports, Tehran’s negotiating team is stopping ‘dialogue and exchange of texts/documents through mediators’ with the US due to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on X that the existing ceasefire (in place since around April following the February 2026 escalation) applies to all fronts, including Lebanon. He warned: “Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The U.S. and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation.”
Iran halts messages with US
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Monday reported that Iran and the “Resistance Front”, including allies in Lebanon, Yemen’s Houthis, and Iraq have agreed on an agenda to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts, such as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, to “punish” Israel and its supporters.
Iranian officials have conditioned any further talks on an immediate end to Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon, plus a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas in Lebanon.
The development comes amid the fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington and the indirect US-Iran diplomatic process aimed at extending a ceasefire and addressing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil and LNG, which has been restricted since the war began in late February 2026.
Israel’s Lebanon offensive
Meanwhile, Israel launched new strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a major Hezbollah stronghold, on Monday. This comes as Israeli ground forces continue their deepest incursion into Lebanon in over 26 years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered attacks on southern Beirut, citing repeated Hezbollah ceasefire violations and rocket fire toward Israeli cities, including the outskirts of Haifa.
Israeli troops seized the strategic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon on Sunday. Hezbollah reported ongoing fierce battles and “attrition fighting” against Israeli forces in the area on Monday.
Deadly Israeli strike on the town of Deir Zahrani in the Nabatieh district on Sunday killed at least eight people, including three women, and wounded 19 others, including five children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Hezbollah said it resumed attacks on Israel in response to Israeli strikes, despite agreeing to a ceasefire in mid-April. Israel maintains its operations are necessary to counter Hezbollah threats.
The United Nations Security Council is holding an emergency meeting later on Monday over Israel’s expansion of operations in Lebanon. The European Union urged Israel to stop its military escalation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been engaging with Lebanese and Israeli leaders to try to de-escalate the situation, proposing that Hezbollah halt attacks in exchange for Israel refraining from striking Beirut.
