Iran signaled an end to its current military operations against Israel just after U.S. President Donald Trump said the two sides were looking to agree to an immediate ceasefire following a series of tit-for-tat strikes that threatened to derail talks aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
Iran’s central military command said that if Israel continued to attack, including in southern Lebanon, “much harsher and more crushing actions than before will be on the way,” the semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a statement.
The decision, which underscores how much the conflict in Lebanon has become a wedge issue in negotiations, came just after Trump said in a Truth Social post that final talks on a truce were “proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.”
Trump had earlier demanded an end to the fighting after the Islamic Republic fired volleys of ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday and Monday, and Israel responded with strikes on military targets in western and central Iran.
Israel also struck Iran’s Karun petrochemical company in Mahshahr on Monday. Tehran warned it will target all oil and gas facilities linked to Israel, the U.S. and their allies in the region if attacks on its own energy infrastructure continue, according to Fars.
Iran began its offensive after Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, and marks a rare example of Tehran coming to the defence of allied militant group Hezbollah.
The fighting poses the most serious challenge yet to a ceasefire that took effect on April 8, halting a war that began in February when the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran. The conflict left thousands of people dead across the Middle East, disrupted global energy flows and spurred a rally in oil prices that’s stoking fears of a surge in global inflation.
The latest bout of violence erupted despite Trump’s warning on Sunday that a renewed escalation could derail efforts to secure a new, 60-day truce between Washington and Tehran. That would pave the way for negotiations on a broader agreement aimed at ending the conflict permanently.
The Israel Defence Forces sees the campaign against Iran lasting several days, and is preparing for large-scale mobilization of reserve soldiers, Army Radio reported earlier Monday.
Iran said it is also prepared for a long-term war with Israel and strikes on American interests, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing an unnamed source.
The Iran-backed Houthis said they launched a missile barrage on Israel from Yemen and will be imposing a “complete and total ban on maritime navigation for the Israeli enemy in the Red Sea,” according to a statement on their Telegram channel.
The Houthis also vowed to ramp up attacks depending on how the conflict unfolds, citing an escalation of pressure by the U.S. and Israel on Iran and Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia on Monday sounded a missile alert in an area home to the Prince Sultan Airbase, which hosts U.S. forces, the Associated Press reported.
