Efforts to negotiate an end to war in the Middle East appeared in limbo on Tuesday, after Iran-linked media reported that Tehran had suspended contact with Washington over Israel’s expanding offensive in Lebanon, even as US President Donald Trump insisted talks were continuing “at a rapid pace” and claimed to have helped broker a halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The conflicting accounts highlighted the fragile state of negotiations aimed at ending more than three months of conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving discussions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The United Nations voiced alarm after Israel broadened military operations in Lebanon, warning that the escalation risked further destabilising the region and undermining diplomatic efforts.
“We are deeply alarmed by the escalation in military activities across southern Lebanon and beyond,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, told reporters.
“We urge all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities and avoid further escalation.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported late on Monday that Tehran had suspended indirect exchanges with Washington through mediators, blaming Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
The reported pause came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push deeper into Lebanon and ordered additional strikes against what he described as militant targets. Israel’s military also issued evacuation warnings for parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, triggering an exodus of residents from the area.
But the diplomatic picture shifted again later in the day when Trump announced what he described as a breakthrough aimed at preventing a further escalation in Lebanon.
“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump wrote on social media.
The US president also said that, through intermediaries, Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks on Israel.
“Through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop – That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” Trump wrote.
There was no immediate word from Hezbollah. But Lebanon’s embassy in Washington said Hezbollah had accepted a US proposal for a “mutual cessation of attacks”, while Netanyahu quickly moved to qualify the parameters of any pause.
“I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop firing at our cities and citizens – Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut,” Netanyahu said in a post on X. “This position of ours remain unchanged. Concurrently, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”
A fourth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon was set to resume in Washington on Tuesday.
Trump has consistently painted a picture of imminent diplomatic success, even as the initial US-Iran ceasefire since April 8 has faced repeated strain as hostilities in Lebanon continued, despite a separate truce there. He sought to project confidence that negotiations with Tehran remained on track despite reports of a suspension.
“Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote in a post. The comments appeared at odds with reports from Tasnim that Tehran had halted indirect contacts with Washington through mediators in protest over developments in Lebanon.
Earlier, Trump told NBC News that he had not been informed of any Iranian decision to suspend talks and suggested that a pause in communications would not necessarily concern him.
“I think we’ve been talking too much, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time.”
Trump said Washington would maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports but indicated that silence between the two sides would not automatically lead to military escalation.
“It doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there,” he said. “We’ll just go silent. We’ll keep the blockade.”
Iran has increasingly linked progress in negotiations with developments in Lebanon, insisting that any broader settlement to the conflict must include an end to Israeli military operations there.
“We insist that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
He said Iran’s immediate priority remained ending the conflict rather than discussing the details of its nuclear programme.
The Revolutionary Guards also issued one of their strongest warnings since the conflict began, saying that further escalation in Lebanon and Gaza could trigger a broader confrontation.
In a statement carried by state media, the Guards said Iran was prepared to undertake “meaningful actions” and open additional fronts while maintaining pressure in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tasnim separately reported that Tehran intended to continue disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and could coordinate with allies to increase pressure around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, another critical artery for global trade and energy shipments.
The threats underscored the stakes surrounding the negotiations, which have sought not only to end the fighting but also to restore freedom of navigation through some of the world’s most important shipping routes and establish limits on Iran’s nuclear activities. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
