TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Monday suspended talks with the United States to protest Israel’s expanding offensive in Lebanon, according to government-aligned media.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“Due to the continuation of the Zionist regime’s actions in Lebanon and given that Lebanon was one of the preconditions of the ceasefire and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts ...
the Iranian negotiating team will suspend ‘talks and the exchange of texts through mediators,’” semiofficial news agency Tasnim reported.Civil defense workers inspect the site of an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on May 31.Kawant Haju / AFP via Getty ImagesThe U.S.military and Iran exchanged strikes over the weekend and into Monday — the latest outburst of violence amid an ostensible ceasefire agreed early April.
Tasnim added that the government would consider a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route that carried a fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war, with the aim of punishing the Israel and its supporters.The government did not comment officially, although official statements are often transmitted through the media.U.S.
officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Negotiations over a broader agreement are ongoing on amid disagreements on several issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.On Feb.
28, the U.S.and Israel launched a war that has since killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, as well as 13 U.S.
service members.It has also sent global energy prices soaring after Iran responded by effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.This is a developing story.
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