Aden (South24 Center)

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday (June 1) that Iran had halted the exchange of messages with the United States through mediators in protest at Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, in a move that could further complicate efforts to contain an expanding regional conflict.

Tasnim, which is regarded as close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said Iran’s negotiating team would stop “talks and the exchange of texts through a mediator” after what it described as Israeli violations of ceasefire understandings on multiple fronts, including Lebanon.

The agency added that Iranian officials and negotiators had stressed the need for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas in Lebanon. It said there would be no further talks unless Iran’s and the “Resistance Front’s” demands were met in this regard.

In a more serious escalation signal, Tasnim said Iran and allied groups within the so-called “Resistance Front” had placed on their agenda the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the activation of other fronts, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait, with the aim of “punishing” Israel and its backers.

Bab al-Mandab, located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is one of the world’s most important maritime corridors and a vital passage for global trade and energy shipments.

Any move to bring Bab al-Mandab into the escalation equation would directly raise the level of risk in Yemen, where the Tehran-backed Houthis have launched attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the outbreak of the Gaza war in late 2023, saying their operations are in support of the Palestinians.

The Houthi campaign has prompted the United States and its allies to carry out military operations to protect international shipping lanes. Any renewed or expanded Iran-backed escalation near Bab al-Mandab could pose an additional threat to maritime traffic between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Reuters reported on Monday that US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were still ongoing. Trump said he had not been officially informed of any Iranian decision to halt the talks, adding that he was prepared to wait and that the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.

The Iranian message came days after a previous Tasnim report said the exchange of messages between Tehran and Washington had been continuing, despite remaining disagreements over several clauses of a possible memorandum of understanding.

The agency said at the time that the first steps of any possible understanding could include ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, beginning the lifting of the naval blockade, releasing part of Iran’s frozen assets, and gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz.