High-level talks between the US and Iran about their Interim agreement to end the war had a tense start on Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran bristled at comments from President Donald Trumpwho threatened an attack and told the Iranian president to be careful what he says.
The comments from afar – on social media and in news outlets – complicated the vice president’s efforts JD Vance and mediators Pakistan and Qatar to engage Iran in talks dealing with sensitive issues such as Tehran’s nuclear program Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets.
Above all, Iran wants to discuss Lebanon, where the Israeli military is fighting against Iranian-backed troops Hezbollah militant group as the agreement ends conflicts on all fronts.
“Iran must immediately stop its highly paid proxies from causing trouble in Lebanon,” Trump said on social media. “If they don’t, we will hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
“You would do better to be careful with what you say,” the Iranian negotiator said. Mohammad Bagher Qalibafsaid on X after Trump’s comments. “Our armed forces are prepared to respond differently. They may keep talking, we are the ones who act.”
Iranian state media said the talks had entered a “difficult phase” and were interrupted after the “publication of an offensive message from the US president.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiation site, state media said.
Vance and U.S. negotiators, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, met with Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for about 80 minutes, according to Iranian state media.
An official familiar with the talks later told the AP that the Iranian delegation remained involved in the talks and had not communicated to mediators any intention to leave the country. Because of the sensitivity of the conversations, the official requested anonymity.
Iran initially wants to concentrate on Israeli attacks in Lebanon
The negotiators are in one 60-day sprint to reach an agreement about the technical details that have massive implications for the global economy and global security.
“The question now is, how much more can we achieve together? Can we start a new chapter?” Vance said at the start of the talks, asking whether they could “permanently change relations in the Middle East.”
The US wants Iran to be included in negotiations on this Nuclear program There are concerns that it could be used for military purposes, which Iran denies. Vance also wants Tehran to commit to ensuring disclosure of the deal Strait of Hormuz, which Iran claimed on Saturday it wanted to close. The US denied this and said shipping continued on Sunday.
But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the state news agency that Tehran wanted the talks to focus on that first Conflict in Lebanon.
A renewed ceasefire in Lebanon brokered on Saturday appeared to be holding, and the Israeli military said it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the border with Lebanon on Monday morning – another sign of calm.
But neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the US-Iran deal and are Israeli prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep its forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to stop attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing.
Sharp Words are exchanged about Iran’s nuclear program
The Agreement signed between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Immediately allows Tehran to sell its oil freely, paving the way for Iran to access billions of dollars in assets that are currently frozen.
It also calls on Iran to reduce its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried beneath nuclear facilities targeted by US strikes a year ago.
However, Pezeshkian stated on Sunday that “we will never withdraw from the right to uranium enrichment, and the other side is also forced to accept this,” according to Iranian state media.
Trump, in a telephone interview with fox News later warned in comments from a Fox correspondent that the Iranian president should be careful what he says and threatened to take power in Iran.
Iran approached the talks cautiously due to its previous experience with US negotiations on the nuclear issue, which were interrupted twice by military strikes last year.
The deal has sparked a lot of controversy
Vance said he planned to stay in Switzerland for “a day or two,” leaving much of the detailed negotiations to Witkoff and Kushner. His role in the discussions has tightened control at a time when he is considering a presidential run in 2028.
Trump and Vance are gone sharp criticism from parts of his own party The deal is supported by Republican hardliners who compare it negatively to the nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration, which Trump and Republicans have stressed did nothing to end Iran’s nuclear program.
The new agreement states that merchant ships can travel through the Strait of Hormuz free of charge for 60 days, but does not rule out future fees from Iran. Trump himself threatened on Saturday to impose US tariffs if there is no deal with Iran within 60 days, insisting that the money would be used for “services he provides to Middle Eastern countries as a guardian angel.”
The Trump administration has worked to reassure global markets that the war was just a small spike in oil prices, while Americans complain about high gasoline prices ahead of the peak summer travel season. After the deal was announced, oil futures fell nearly 8%.
Markets are expected to closely monitor the progress of the talks when they open for trading on Sunday evening.