Iran FM raises Israeli ‘ceasefire violations’ in call with Pakistani mediators

TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised “ceasefire violations” by Israel with Pakistani mediators on Wednesday, an Iranian ministry statement said, as reports citing senior officials warned that Tehran could pull out of the truce over attacks on Lebanon.

Araghchi “discussed the Zionist regime’s violations of the ceasefire in Iran and Lebanon”, referring to Israel, in a call with Field Marshal Asim Munir, the statement said.

Reports from Iranian media and Al Jazeera citing Iranian officials and well-informed sources said Tehran was prepared to withdraw from the ceasefire and retaliate over Israel’s bombardments of Lebanon.

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“Iran will withdraw from the agreement if Israel continues to violate the ceasefire in its attack on Lebanon,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, citing a well-informed source.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed on Telegram to “punish Israel for the atrocities it has committed in Lebanon and violating ceasefire conditions”.

The Al Jazeera telelvision channel also quoted an unnamed Iranian official saying “the ceasefire includes the region, and Israel is known for breaking promises and will only be deterred by bullets.”

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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the ceasefire applied “everywhere” including Lebanon, as he announced Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran for talks later this week.

However, Israel has insisted that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire, and the Israeli military said it carried out its “largest coordinated strike across Lebanon” on Wednesday.

Sharif said on Wednesday that ceasefire violations between the United States and Iran “have been reported” and he pressed countries to respect the truce.