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Iran has suspended peace talks with the US in protest at Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim, putting further pressure on the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Tasnim, which is close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said that the suspension would remain in place until “the positions of Iran and its allied proxy forces are taken into account”.
Oil extended gains following the report, with Brent crude trading 5.3 per cent higher at $95.93 a barrel.
The US and Iran have conducted negotiations via mediators for weeks to extend a ceasefire brokered in early April. In recent days, there have been conflicting signals over whether the two sides are close to an agreement that would extend the ceasefire by 60 days.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday in a post on his Truth Social platform that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us”. He added: “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end — It always does!”
The heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington come as Israel, which struck Iran alongside the US on February 28, has pushed forward with an offensive against the Iranian-backed militant organisation Hizbollah in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz said on Monday that they had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to carry out attacks on the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.
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