Israel postponed major Beirut strike after US intervention - Kan

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday accused the United States and Israel of repeatedly violating an April ceasefire, saying attacks on Iranian commercial shipping and Israeli strikes in Lebanon amount to breaches across all fronts.

In a statement, the ministry said the April 8 agreement was supposed to end the US and Israeli war against the Islamic Republic “on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Washington had since “repeatedly” violated the ceasefire, including through continued actions against Iran’s commercial shipping, it said, apparently referring to the US enforcement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The ministry also accused Israel of a “flagrant” breach of the truce in Lebanon, saying "a ceasefire violation on any one front constitutes a violation on all fronts."

The ministry said the United States bears direct responsibility both for what it described as violations against Iran and for Israel’s actions in Lebanon, despite what it called early US efforts after the ceasefire to pressure Israel to halt its attacks.

Iran has repeatedly warned about the “dangerous consequences” of ceasefire violations for regional peace and security, the statement added, saying Tehran would use “all capacities” to defend its interests wherever it deems necessary.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Monday it received a report that a cargo vessel was hit by an unknown projectile in the Persian Gulf about 40 nautical miles southeast of Umm Qasr, Iraq.

UKMTO said the vessel was transiting the Persian Gulf when a large explosion occurred after the projectile hit its starboard side.

UKMTO said it was not aware of any environmental impact at this time and that authorities were investigating.

A Panama-flagged vessel experienced an explosion in Iraqi territorial waters near the port of Umm Qasr, Iraqi broadcaster Alsumaria News reported on Monday, citing a security source.

The vessel, MSC SARISKA V, encountered the explosion near buoy number 5 after completing the unloading of its cargo at Umm Qasr port, the report said.

Preliminary information indicates the incident was caused by a mechanical fault inside the vessel and there were no indications that it had been targeted, according to the source cited by Alsumaria.

No casualties were reported and damage was limited to the vessel itself, while authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident, the report added.

Iran is ready to facilitate maritime traffic and ensure shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz, President Masoud Pezeshkian told Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a phone call on Monday, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"Iran is fully prepared to facilitate maritime transit. The main problem stems from the restrictions and obstacles imposed by the United States on Iran's shipping and trade," Pezeshkian said, according to IRNA.

"We will strive to ensure that Japanese vessels can pass without difficulty and with greater ease," he added.

Pezeshkian said Iran had always viewed diplomacy as the most effective way to resolve existing issues, but that the United States' failure to honor its commitments and Israel through its "destabilizing actions," had challenged diplomatic efforts.

Iran's negotiating team is stopping message exchanges with the United States through mediators over Israel's attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

There will be no talks until Iran's demands on the cessation of Israeli operations in Lebanon and Gaza are met, the report said, adding that Tehran considers the attacks on the Lebanese group a violation of the April 8 ceasefire with the US.

Iran and its regional allied groups "have placed on their agenda the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of other fronts, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait," to punish Israel and its supporters, Tasnim's report added.