Trump Threatens Iran as JD Vance Holds Switzerland Talks With Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf

U.S. President Donald Trump continued to threaten Iran on Sunday even as talks began in Switzerland between his vice president and Iranian officials on next steps in the interim agreement signed last week to end the war.

“An Iranian Tasnim News Agency cited a source close to the Iranian negotiating team that the team left the site of direct talks with the Americans at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland in protest of threats by U”

Al-Jazeera Net

The U.S. team is led by Vice President JD Vance and includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, while the Iranian negotiators are led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Al-Jazeera Net

The talks were held as Tehran said it closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, and the interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.

The U.S. said shipping traffic on the crucial waterway continues, and Trump threatened to impose American tolls in the strait if a final deal with Iran isn’t reached in 60 days.

In response to Trump’s warnings, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency suggested that talks have “entered a difficult phase” after what it described as an “insulting” statement by Trump.

Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf told the U.S. to be careful after Trump’s comments, saying, “They would do better to be careful about their statements; our armed forces are prepared to respond to them in a different manner.”

Iranian state media said talks had entered a “difficult phase” and recessed after the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President,” and the Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site.

AP News

The AP reported that an official with knowledge of the talks said the Iranian delegation remains engaged in the talks and has not indicated to mediators any intention to leave.

CNN also described negotiations as stalled after Trump threatened Tehran’s delegation in an interview, and it quoted Trump saying the U.S. could resume bombing and “take over” the strait if a deal is not reached with Iran.

In Switzerland, NPR reported that Vance said the U.S. and Iran had an opportunity to “turn over a new leaf,” even as Trump threatened to “hit Iran very hard again” if Iran did not restrain Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The talks are aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days on technical details that hold “massive implications for the world economy and global security,” with the interim deal already signed to end the war.

“Trump and Iran's negotiator trade warnings as talks held in Switzerland President Donald Trump has exchanged warnings with Iran's lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as a first round of direct talks was held in Switzerland after the countries signed an initial agreement to end the war”

BBC

The U.S. wants Iran locked into negotiations over its nuclear program amid concerns it may be used for military purposes, which Iran denies, and Vance said the question was whether the sides could “turn over a new leaf” as the “Lake Lucerne Summit” got underway.

The U.S. also wants Tehran to commit to keeping open the Strait of Hormuz, and NPR reported that Vance said the U.S. has “done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world.”

The interim agreement immediately allows Tehran to sell its oil freely and paves the way for Iran to tap into billions of dollars in assets that are currently frozen, while it also calls for Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The stakes are also tied to Lebanon’s ceasefire and Israel’s posture, with Netanyahu insisting Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon “for as long as necessary,” and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem arguing that Israel should not continue operating in Lebanon after Netanyahu said troops would remain there.