Iran accuses US and Israel of ceasefire violations, threatening truce

A two-week agreement to halt U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran was under threat from multiple directions on Wednesday. Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire. Israel carried out widespread strikes in Lebanon. Iran conducted retaliatory attacks in the Persian Gulf region. And traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill.

Iran might withdraw from talks if violations of the ceasefire continued, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a statement Wednesday, which detailed apparent breaches of the agreement, including Israeli attacks in Lebanon, a drone intercepted in Iran and what he said was President Donald Trump’s denial of Iran’s right to enrich uranium.

Less than 24 hours since Trump announced the ceasefire, its future remains tenuous, with the two sides slated to begin talks in Pakistan on Friday.

After nearly six weeks of fighting that has destabilized the region and upended the global economy, the agreement raised the prospect of respite. But some of the ceasefire’s key details remain unclear — and gaps between Washington and Tehran, and their respective 10- and 15-point plans, remain large.

One point of divergence remains the war in Lebanon.

In an initial announcement of the deal Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated between the sides, said it included Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump made no mention of Lebanon, Hezbollah or Iranian regional proxies in his own ceasefire announcements. Late Tuesday night, Tehran said the cessation strikes on Hezbollah were included in its demands for the deal.

But the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that attacks in Lebanon were not covered in the agreement. Talking to reporters Wednesday at the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran had indicated a willingness to give up uranium as part of an agreement — and that Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire.

The status of the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point for fuel shipments, also remains to be negotiated.

But traffic in the strait remained at a standstill Wednesday, according to Iran’s state-backed media and marine traffic monitors. While two tankers passed through early in the day with permission, traffic has since stopped, reported Fars, an Iranian state-backed outlet.

The agreed-upon pause came as the war’s economic and political fallout, including a near-doubling of gasoline prices in the United States and a falling approval rating as midterm elections near, had begun to mount. Stock futures surged and oil prices plunged following the ceasefire announcement.

Israel described its attacks in Lebanon Wednesday as the largest yet in its current offensive against Hezbollah. The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 182 people had been killed in an initial toll from Israeli strikes across the country.

The war has been devastating for Iran, with more than 15,000 U.S. and Israeli strikes destroying factories, bridges and research facilities in addition to the attacks that hit military installations and government complexes. As of last month, the conflict had killed nearly 15,000 civilians, according to a report from a consortium of human rights groups. Iranian attacks killed 13 U.S. troops in the region and injured more than 380.

The Pentagon has military plans in place to seize that uranium, two people familiar with the planning have told The Washington Post. That mission, which would require Special Forces, is highly complex and dangerous and could result in additional troop deaths, according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. (Source: The Washington Post)