Iran warns April ceasefire may collapse over Lebanon strikes

Iranian state television warned Sunday that a ceasefire reached with the United States in early April is very likely to collapse if Israel continues its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as Tehran simultaneously announced it is halting indirect negotiations with Washington through mediators.

The twin moves — a ceasefire warning and a negotiation freeze — drove oil prices up more than $6 per barrel, underscoring how deeply the three-month-old conflict has rattled global energy markets. The war, launched Feb. 28, has killed thousands and displaced more than 1 million people in Lebanon, according to The Korea Times.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi named Lebanon as a central obstacle to any diplomatic progress, drawing a direct line between Israeli military operations there and the broader Iran-U.S. framework. "Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The U.S. and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation," Araqchi said, according to The Korea Times.

Iran's state news agency Tasnim, citing Tehran's demands regarding Lebanon, issued a blunt condition for resuming talks. "There will be no talks until Iran and the resistance's views on this matter are met," Tasnim said, according to The Korea Times.

The escalation followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's order for troops to push deeper into Lebanon and launch strikes on Hezbollah-controlled areas, including the southern suburbs of Beirut. Netanyahu's office accused Hezbollah of repeated ceasefire violations since late April.

Fighting has also intensified along other fronts. U.S. military forces struck Iranian air defenses and destroyed two drones over the weekend, prompting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to target a U.S. air base in retaliation, The Korea Times reported. U.S. forces then intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American military personnel in Kuwait.

Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz — a vital corridor for global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies — as well as the Bab El Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal. The Trump administration has proposed a plan for gradual de-escalation between Israel and Lebanon, while President Donald Trump has said his overarching goal is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons with enriched uranium.

The Iran-U.S. ceasefire was brokered less than six weeks after the war's Feb. 28 start date. Whether it survives may depend on decisions made in Tel Aviv and Washington in the days ahead — decisions that could also determine whether global shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz remain open.