Reuters/CCTV. U.S. President Donald Trump says he remains optimistic that a ceasefire agreement can be reached soon, despite reports that Iran has suspended indirect talks with the United States and is considering a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating regional tensions.
Iran has halted talks and exchanges of draft proposals with the United States via mediators in protest against Israel's actions in Lebanon, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday.
"There will be no dialogue" until Iran's demands on "immediate cessation" of Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon are secured, it reported.
A ceasefire in Lebanon is one of Iran's preconditions for accepting the April truce with the United States, but the truce has now been violated on all fronts, it reported.
In an NBC News phone interview on Monday, Trump said he had not received any word from Iran regarding a suspension of negotiations with the United States, adding that Iran has not formally notified the U.S. of such a move. He also stated that the U.S. will continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Also on Monday, Trump told ABC News that he expects an agreement "over the next week" to extend the current ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. "I think you're talking about over the next week," he said, noting he has "a few more points" to finalize and suggesting a peace deal could be "even better than a military victory."
"So it's not an easy thing for them. It's actually not easy from our standpoint either. But we're getting what we need to get," Trump said, adding that negotiations are continuing at a rapid pace.
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that violating the ceasefire between Iran and the United States on any front equals violating it on all fronts.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the U.S. anti-Iran naval blockade and Israel's escalation of "war crimes" in Lebanon are "clear evidence of U.S. noncompliance with the ceasefire."
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference that U.S. "new and contradictory" demands have prolonged the process of negotiations to end the war.
Iran and the United States reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting. They then held one round of peace talks in Pakistan's Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.
Over the past weeks, the two sides reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for peace through Pakistan's mediation, and are working to finalize a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
Israel and Lebanon reached a ceasefire in mid-April, despite which Israel has continued near-daily strikes in Lebanon, while Hezbollah has launched attacks on Israeli military positions.
On Sunday, Israel claimed having captured southern Lebanon's Beaufort Ridge, including the strategic castle at its summit, an area beyond the "security zone" Israel has maintained since its ceasefire with Lebanon.
The move, which media reports called Israel's "deepest advance into Lebanon" in over 20 years, was condemned by the Arab world, as well as France, Germany and Britain.
