Amid peace talks in Switzerland, US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran to immediately restrain its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, threatening renewed military action against Tehran even as American and Iranian delegations continued peace negotiations in Switzerland aimed at de-escalating tensions.
Trump threatened to restart war with Iran even as Vice President JD Vance met Iranian officials for the first talks under a peace deal, a development that was overshadowed by Tehran’s announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks, held in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock and hosted by mediator Qatar, marked the first round under the terms of a memorandum of understanding agreed a week earlier.
Meanwhile, in a post on Truth Social, Trump issued one of his strongest warnings minutes after the latest round of negotiations began in Switzerland.
"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" Trump wrote.
The development comes at a time when the peace talks in Buergenstock, hosted by Qatar, are taking place under the framework of the memorandum of understanding agreed a week earlier.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) established a framework for broader negotiations covering regional security, the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear programme, and ceasefires across multiple fronts. It envisioned a 60-day negotiation period aimed at reducing tensions and working toward a more durable settlement.
What JD Vance Said At Swiss Meet
Ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Iran, US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said that America is prepared to "fundamentally transform" its long-strained ties with Tehran if the Islamic Republic is "willing to give up being a driver of regional instability" and shun nuclear weapons ambitions.
Speaking after talks involving Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, and the US, JD Vance said the Trump administration had made progress in efforts to preserve a ceasefire in Lebanon, though he admitted the situation remained delicate.
"We've seen great progress over the last couple of days in ensuring ceasefire in Lebanon holds," Vance said, adding that "these kinds of ceasefires are always a little bit messy."
Vance said Trump is committed to securing a broader regional truce and viewed the Lebanon ceasefire as a critical step toward a settlement.
"What the President (Donald Trump) has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran and to extend an outstretched hand that says to the people of Iran that if your leadership is willing to give up being a driver of regional instability and if they are willing to give up nuclear weapons ambitions for the long term, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country," he explained, adding, "That is certainly our goal."
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The US Vice President also described the negotiations as an opportunity to reshape relations across the Middle East, saying the administration hoped to "turn over a new leaf" with Iran if Tehran abandoned policies Washington sees as destabilising.
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