Tehran has held the United States accountable for a renewed surge in regional hostilities, warning that Israeli violations of a fragile ceasefire, including strikes in Lebanon, risk completely undermining ongoing diplomatic negotiations with Washington. This statement came during a tense press briefing following a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian energy and military sites.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei asserted that the US bears direct responsibility for the Israeli attacks and the collapse of the truce. He emphasized that Israeli actions in the region cannot be separated from American involvement, describing the current escalation as part of a broader US strategy aimed at destabilizing the area.
Baghaei stressed that Iran remained fully committed to the ceasefire agreement, but Israel’s repeated violations have jeopardized the fragile peace. He highlighted that a complete halt to Israeli aggression in Lebanon is a non-negotiable condition for any comprehensive agreement with the United States. The ongoing breaches in Lebanon, he warned, could severely damage the credibility of the entire diplomatic process.
“Lebanon is an essential and inseparable component of any ceasefire arrangement,” Baghaei told reporters, underlining that continued Israeli violations there threaten to derail negotiations. He reiterated Iran’s desire to end the broader conflict, but criticized Israel for disregarding diplomatic norms and truce agreements, showing no respect for the talks underway. Both the US and Israel, he insisted, will not be allowed to undermine any clause of a potential deal.
In a significant development, Baghaei also sharply criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. He accused the UN nuclear watchdog’s chief of ignoring geopolitical realities and acting with deliberate bias against Iran’s nuclear program. Baghaei warned that if the IAEA continues to adopt a politicized narrative, its legitimacy will be seriously compromised.
Amid escalating military tensions marked by reciprocal missile strikes between Israel and Iran and the suspension of commercial flights in western Iran, Baghaei affirmed that Iranian armed forces remain fully prepared to defend the nation’s security and interests. He categorically denied any Iranian involvement in attacks against neighboring countries, specifically refuting claims of Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia.
