Iran links Gaza ceasefire talks to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Iran has stipulated that a halt to Israel's aggression in Gaza is a prerequisite for continuing ceasefire negotiations with the United States. Tehran views the ongoing "genocide" in Gaza as part of a broader attack on the Islamic Republic.

On Monday, Iran announced it was suspending all communication with the U.S. unless Israel ceases its military expansion in southern Lebanon. According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, the Iranian negotiation team halted "talks and text exchanges through mediators" due to the "continuation of the Zionist regime's crimes in Lebanon and considering that Lebanon is one of the prerequisites for a ceasefire, and that this ceasefire has now been violated on all fronts, including Lebanon."

Iran is also demanding an end to "aggressive and brutal military operations in Gaza and Lebanon" and calls for "the complete withdrawal of Israel from the occupied territories in Lebanon." This announcement followed an Israeli military warning to residents in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh to evacuate before planned airstrikes. Following Iran's threat, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him to halt the attacks.

The Palestinian resistance groups have welcomed Iran's decision to link the resumption of negotiations to the end of the war and Israeli aggression on all fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon. In a statement released overnight, the factions described Iran's position as "principled" and said it reflects Tehran's long-standing support for the Palestinian people and their resistance against Israeli and U.S.-backed aggression. They urged "free peoples" to rally in support of the Palestinians and Lebanese facing ongoing Israeli-U.S. genocide and aggression, which they consider part of a wider Israeli expansionist plan.