Israel’s strikes on Lebanon and Iran’s threats to ships in the Strait of Hormuz have rattled the deal President Donald Trump signed just days ago, but negotiations continue.
Vice President JD Vance held talks in Switzerland with Iranian officials Sunday as Tehran protested President Donald Trump’s recent comments potentially threatening the days-old peace.
“The Iranian delegation has expressed its protest to the American side and is now reviewing appropriate response to Donald Trump’s recent verbal threats,” Iranian officials said through Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency translated to English, adding that “any form of threat is considered a serious violation of the agreement.”
It was unclear which of Trump’s statements they were referring to. However, earlier Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” unless it stops “their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon,” referring to Hezbollah.
And in a phone interview Sunday morning with Fox News, Trump said he spoke with the Iranians overnight, delivering a stark warning that if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. will “blow the s— out of them.”
“You close it and you won’t have a country,” Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported the president’s telling him Sunday morning. “You won’t even make it back to your f—— country.”
Told during the phone call that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will maintain its right to enrich uranium, Yingst said, Trump responded that “he better watch his mouth” and “he better shape up or we’ll take over the rest of the country.”
Trump described the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding as “just an option,” saying, “I can do whatever I want after that option.”
Vance, joined at the negotiations by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, met with a senior Iranian delegation to discuss the technical details of a memorandum of understanding signed last week. Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan also joined the talks.
The deal has already been tested by fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Iran signaled would be central to the talks. “The first mandate of the negotiating delegation in Switzerland is to end the aggression in Lebanon,” a spokesman for Iran’s presidential office said.
Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating a ceasefire in southern Lebanon with continued strikes, even as the Trump administration and Iran press for fighting to end.
Iran said Saturday that it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, alleging ceasefire violations by Israel. The U.S. military has denied Iran’s claim to control the strait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy warned ships not to approach the waterway, which Iran had committed to reopen under the interim peace deal.
After initial talks Sunday, Vance told the media that “great” progress had been made toward a future “where everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity.”
A senior U.S. diplomat engaged in the negotiations said Sunday that they anticipated working through the night.
“We’ve had robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear deal,” the official said. “We plan to continue working through each of these issues and using today’s work as a starting point for ongoing technical talks going forward.”
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an unusual warning Sunday to unspecified voices in Iran pressing for a return to conflict.
“
