Iran has cautioned the United States that Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon violate the April 8 ceasefire with Tehran and that Washington is accountable for these violations.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the US had violated the terms of the 8 April ceasefire announced by Pakistan by attacking Iranian ships and facilities in the Persian Gulf, while also failing to contain Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which Tehran views as a breach of the truce, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.

“Despite the efforts of the United States in the initial days following the ceasefire to pressure the Israeli regime into halting its aggressions against Lebanon, the direct responsibility of the United States, both for violating the ceasefire against Iran and for the Israeli regime’s violation of the ceasefire against Lebanon, is evident,” the statement said.

It added that Washington should bear the costs of the Israeli violations of the truce in Lebanon and their impact and consequences for the wider region.

The statement said Iran would act to defend its interests “everywhere it deems necessary”, based on its legitimate right to self-defence, adding that Israel had violated Lebanon’s territorial integrity by launching dozens of attacks and operations, which it said had killed thousands and displaced nearly two million people.

The statement came after Iran’s central military command warned residents in the Israeli-occupied territories to evacuate their homes and properties in anticipation of a potential Iranian attack, in response to evacuation warnings issued by Israel to people in parts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The Iranian warning prompted US President Donald Trump to intervene, according to the statement. He said in a post on social media that he had persuaded Israel to halt its plans for attacks on Beirut.