Trump's Threats Derail US-Iran Talks in Switzerland as Iranian Delegation Walks Out

Diplomacy in Zurich, threats from Washington

Vice President JD Vance arrived at the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, on Sunday alongside Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the first in-person round of formal US-Iran talks under the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed last week.apnews Iran's delegation, headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, entered an 80-minute session before state media reported that talks had "entered a difficult phase" and recessed.apnews +1 An official with knowledge of the discussions told the AP that Iran had not indicated any intention to leave permanently, with Qatar and Pakistan continuing to mediate in the background.apnews

Trump's posts shatter the room

While Vance was urging Iranian counterparts to "turn over a new leaf," Trump posted on social media that Iran "must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble" and threatened to "hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder."bbc In a phone interview with Fox News, he appeared to threaten the Iranian negotiating team directly: "You close it and you won't have a country. You won't even make it back to your fucking country."theguardian Tehran lodged a formal protest with the mediators over the remarks. Ghalibaf dismissed them publicly: "Don't they think that if their threats had any effect, they wouldn't be in this desperate situation today?… No matter how much they talk, it is we who take action."bbc

A draft on oil, and a deadlock over Lebanon

Despite the walkout, talks produced one concrete result: a member of the Iranian delegation confirmed that a draft covering temporary sanctions waivers on Iranian oil exports had been finalized in technical side sessions.apnews +1 Iran also raised the release of frozen overseas assets with the Qatari mediating team.theguardian The deeper deadlock, however, remained Lebanon. Iranian officials insisted the broader provisions of the memorandum — including the nuclear file — would not advance until Israel halted its campaign against Hezbollah, which has killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon since March.aljazeera Israel is not a signatory to the deal, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to keep forces in southern Lebanon "for as long as necessary."bbc Trump separately warned Sunday that, without a final deal in 60 days, the US would collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.pbs

A 60-day clock

The formal 60-day window to negotiate technical details — covering Iran's nuclear program, Strait of Hormuz passage, asset releases and sanctions — began when Trump and Pezeshkian electronically signed the memorandum on June 18.apnews US Energy Secretary Chris Wright insisted the renewed Iranian blockade declaration was having no practical effect, citing 67 ship transits on Saturday alone.bbc Oil futures had already dropped nearly 8% after the initial deal was announced, and markets were closely tracking developments when trading opened Sunday evening.apnews