Tehran says US and Israel undermining diplomatic process

Diplomatic efforts with the United States cannot advance under repeated ceasefire violations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says, following overnight strikes.

“Following overnight events, we need to re-assess [the diplomatic path with Washington]… any diplomatic process requires a minimum stable environment,” he says after the US military carried out strikes in Iran following the downing of an Apache helicopter.

Baghaei accuses Washington of undermining diplomacy through contradictory messages, shifting positions and repeated ceasefire violations, and says Israel is also damaging the process through repeated ceasefire breaches in Lebanon.

Israel says it is acting against the ongoing threat posed by the Hezbollah terror group in south Lebanon, and argues that the terms of the ceasefire allow it to do so.