Iran Suspends U.S. Talks Over Israel’s Lebanon Offensive as Trump Orders No Troops to Beirut

Iran suspended high-stakes negotiations with the United States on Monday to protest Israel’s expanding military offensive in Lebanon, according to government-aligned media, complicating efforts to end the three-month war.

The semiofficial news agency Tasnim reported, “The Iranian negotiating team will suspend ‘talks and the exchange of texts through mediators,’” while NBC News reported that President Donald Trump said he was not informed of the decision ahead of time.

24 Heures

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives from Hezbollah, adding, “there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.”

In a separate development, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington said Hezbollah had accepted the terms of a U.S. proposal “for a mutual cessation of attacks,” with the ceasefire later expanded to encompass all Lebanese territory.

PBS reported that Trump said Israel and Hezbollah agreed to dial back fighting after he held talks with Netanyahu and communicated with the Lebanon-militant group through mediators.

Trump said Hezbollah had “agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” but PBS also reported that moments after his message Israel detected missile launches from Lebanon.

Al Jazeera

Israel’s joint statement by Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the orders to attack targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs followed what they called repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah and “attacks against our cities and citizens.”

CNN reported that Trump told ABC News he believes an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire with Iran is reachable “over the next week,” while CNN also said Iran’s state media reported Tehran had suspended talks over Israel’s actions in Lebanon.

The Lebanese Embassy in Washington said the proposed arrangement would see Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacks against Israel, and it said the ceasefire would then be expanded to encompass all Lebanese territory.

Netanyahu later posted on X that the Israel Defense Forces would strike Beirut if Hezbollah attacks do not stop, writing, “if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut.”

CNN reported that Lebanese authorities said they received confirmation of Hezbollah’s agreement to a US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel, but Netanyahu said Israel would keep striking southern Lebanon “as planned.”

Meanwhile, CNN said Israel’s parliament passed a bill in its first reading to dissolve the Knesset and call early elections, with the bill voted on in the early hours of Tuesday morning, local time, passing 106-0 and saying the elections would take place between September 8 and October 20.