Iran warns US must choose between ceasefire and war via Israel, ‘it cannot have both’

Iran warned on Wednesday that the US must choose between a ceasefire and ‘‘continued war via Israel,’‘ saying Washington ‘‘cannot have both.’‘

‘‘The Iran–U.S. Ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the U.S. must choose—ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,’‘ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on US social media company X.

‘‘The world sees the massacres in Lebanon. The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.’‘

Citing an informed source, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported earlier that Tehran will withdraw from the truce with the US if Israel continues to violate it through attacks on Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it struck more than 100 sites ‘‘within 10 minutes’‘ across multiple areas in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon, in the ‘‘largest’‘ coordinated strike since the start of the current offensive in Lebanon.

While simultaneously attacking Iran since Feb. 28, Israel has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.

After Pakistani mediation, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, saying Tehran presented a ‘‘workable’‘ 10-point proposal for negotiations.

The announcement came less than two hours before the expiration of a deadline Trump had repeatedly extended for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face ‘‘the destruction of an entire civilization."

Source: Anadolu Agency
--Agencies