Iran Slams Trump Amid New Israeli Strikes Against Lebanon

Iran has accused the US of trying to “have a cake and eat it at the same time” after the White House backed Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

Tehran argues that Lebanon was supposed to be included in its ceasefire deal with the US – and Israel – to halt all fighting in the region.

But Israel has been accused of a “massacre” in Lebanon by issuing air strikes on Wednesday which killed 182 people, according to the Iranian health ministry.

US vice-president JD Vance chose to stand by Israel last night, calling it a “misunderstanding”.

“I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding,” Vance told reporters. “I think the Iranians thought the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise, we never indicated that was gonna be the case.”

But Iran’s deputy foreign minister told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that the attacks were a “grave violation” of any ceasefire agreement.

Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran had sent a message to the Oval Office overnight which essentially said: “You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time.”

He added: “You cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept terms and conditions, accept all the areas that a ceasefire is applied to, and name Lebanon, exactly Lebanon in that, and then your ally [Israel] just starts a massacre.”

He claimed the US “must choose” if it wants war or peace, but “they cannot have it both at the same time”.

Asked if Iran would pull out of negotiations if the strikes continue, he said: “We are very much focusing on the wellbeing of the whole Middle East.”

He also defended Iran’s attempts to control passage through the major shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz.

He said: “Iran said security for all or security for nobody. The Strait of Hormuz is purely in Iranian territory.”

The UK’s foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain wants the ceasefire extended to cover Lebanon and that has been part of their discussions with the US.

She said the strikes against Lebanon on Wednesday were “completely wrong”.

“We’ve seen the mass displacement of civilians in Lebanon with significant humanitarian consequences,” she said.

“This escalation in damaging, it’s wrong… we want the ceasefire extended to cover Lebanon.”

Cooper also disputed the Iranian deputy foreign minister’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz is not in international waters but territory belonging to Iran and Oman.

The minister said freedom of navigation applies to all international transit routes under maritime law, claiming: “Countries cannot simply hijack those kinds of international transit routes and unilaterally apply tolls.”

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