Iranian delegation walks out of Switzerland talks after Trump’s latest threats
The US president said on social media as negotiations were underway that he would strike the Islamic Republic ‘very hard’ over Tehran’s support for Hezbollah
Iranian representatives walked out of the venue where talks were being held in Switzerland on 21 June, in protest against US President Donald Trump's latest threat to renew strikes against the Islamic Republic, Iranian state media reported.
A source close to Iran's negotiating team told Tasnim News Agency and other outlets that the Iranian delegation left the negotiation venue in protest over Trump’s new remarks.
“The outcome [of the talks] ultimately remains uncertain and shrouded in ambiguity,” the Tasnim News Agency report said.
Tasnim News Agency has also reported that talks will be “halted” if Israel continues to refuse withdrawal from Lebanon.
A member of Iran's negotiating team confirmed this in an interview with IRIB, saying talks will end unless war ceases in Lebanon.
According to a source cited by Fars News Agency, talks were ended and may not resume.
Press TV reported that a formal complaint has been filed, and that it remains unclear if talks will continue. The US media outlet Axios claimed that the Iranian team had not left and that talks were ongoing.
Similarly, TASS, citing a source familiar with the talks, reported that the Iranian delegation temporarily left the negotiation center in protest over Trump's threats and returned to their hotels for consultations, adding that the negotiations have not ended.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Burgenstock said the Iranian negotiating team had only temporarily withdrawn from talks.
Iranian officials have reacted to Trump’s new threats to bomb the Islamic Republic.
"Don't they realize that if their threats had been effective, they would not have reached their current state of desperation? We do not take American threats seriously,” said Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
“They would be wise to watch their words. Our armed forces are prepared to respond in a different manner. They can say whatever they want; we are the ones who act," he added.
Trump’s threats were a violation of the first clause of the recently signed MoU, which states that both parties must commit “not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other."
Trump made the threats as Pakistani and Qatari-mediated negotiations were taking place in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday.
“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!!!” the US president wrote on social media, referring to Hezbollah.
Separately, Trump told Fox News that if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, it "won't have a country ... you won't even make it back to your fucking country."
Tehran had already shut the waterway again on 20 June in response to Israeli war crimes and massacres in Lebanon.
Fox News quoted Trump as saying that the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is "not a deal" but instead a temporary extension of the ceasefire, while adding that the US "holds the cards” and that the president can "do whatever he wants" after the 60-day period expires.
Trump also responded to a speech by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who said Tehran will not abandon its right to peaceful nuclear enrichment.
"He better watch his mouth, he better shape up, or we'll take over the rest of the country," Trump said.
Additionally, the US president said Washington could take over the Strait of Hormuz and impose transit fees in the future if necessary, suggesting the US could claim 20 percent of the oil passing through the strategic waterway.
The talks kicked off in Switzerland on Sunday, after having been postponed following Israel’s brutal escalation in Lebanon, which killed at least 100 people over the weekend.
Tehran said it was prioritizing the Lebanon clause of the MoU, which demands an end to the Israeli war and occupation in that country.
Access to Iran's frozen assets, issues related to the sale of oil derivatives and petrochemical products, and several other clauses of the MoU were also set to be addressed.
Iran had reclosed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday in response to Israel’s brutal attacks on Lebanon, while warning of “further measures” if the violations do not end.
As a result, the US pressured Israel to rein in its campaign of ethnic cleansing and indiscriminate bombing.
Yet Tel Aviv has continued to refuse withdrawal from south Lebanon, and Hezbollah has vowed to continue confronting Israeli forces as long as they remain present in Lebanese territory.