Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday warned Israel would face a "regret-inducing" response if it did not halt attacks on Lebanon, hours after a fragile two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran was announced.
The warning comes after Israel pounded Lebanon with its heaviest strikes yet on Wednesday, killing at least 254 people and injuring 1,165 others across the country.
The IRGC said while only a few hours have elapsed since the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, Israel has started a "brutal massacre" in Lebanon, warning that the United States and Israel of its "regret-inducing" response if the attacks are not immediately stopped.
Iran's lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf, Qalibaf said Israel had already violated several conditions of that ceasefire by ramping up its parallel war against the Iran-aligned militia Hezbollah, while the United States had violated the agreement by insisting that Iran abandon its nuclear ambitions.
"In such a situation, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations were unreasonable," he said in a statement.
The U.S. and Israel said Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire. U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday warned that if Iran breaks its "end of the bargain, then they're going to see some serious consequences."
"If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart... over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that's ultimately their choice," said Vance, who is set to lead talks with Iran in Pakistan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue.
Far apart
Washington and Tehran appeared to be far apart on Iran's nuclear program – one of the factors that U.S. President Donald Trump cited as the basis for war.
Trump said Iran had agreed to stop enriching uranium, which can be turned into nuclear weapons, and the White House said Iran has indicated it would turn over its existing stocks.
"The United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried ... Nuclear 'Dust," Trump said on social media.
Qalibaf, however, said it was allowed to continue enriching uranium under the terms of the ceasefire.
Though both the United States and Iran declared victory in a five-week-old war that has killed thousands, their core disputes remained unresolved. Each side is sticking to competing demands for a deal that could shape the Middle East for generations.
Oil uncertainty
As Israel bombed Lebanon on Wednesday, Iran also struck oil facilities in nearby Gulf countries, including a pipeline in Saudi Arabia that has been used to bypass the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE also reported missile and drone strikes.
The Strait of Hormuz remained shut to vessels sailing without a permit and shippers said they needed more clarity before resuming transit. MarineTraffic data showed two Greek-owned and two Chinese-owned bulk carriers have passed through the strait since early Wednesday.
In a sign of progress toward reopening the strategic waterway, which typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments, the IRGC released a map to help vessels avoid naval mines in the strait.
But even if the Strait of Hormuz were to return to normal overnight, analysts say global oil and gas supply chains would take far longer to recover, as vessels are unlikely to resume transits in the near term.
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