Iran-US Talks in Switzerland Marked by President Trump's Threats

JAKARTA - Iran's negotiations with the United States to end the escalation in the Middle East are marked by President Donald Trump's threats that led to the negotiations being halted but not over.

Switzerland hosted a meeting in an effort to end the escalation in the Middle East between Iran and the United States, with Pakistani and Qatari mediators or the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Burgenstock Resort, Sunday (21/6).

The meeting was held following the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which consists of 14 points and was signed by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last week.

The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance. From the Iranian side there was the Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Galibaf. Meanwhile, Pakistan is led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatar is led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Citing CNN (22/6), the meeting focused on the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear weapons, the situation in Lebanon, and the structure of the 60-day negotiation period according to a diplomat.

Meanwhile, President Trump said the US might "take over" the Strait of Hormuz if it could not reach an agreement with Iran and threatened the Iranian delegation that was negotiating in Switzerland.

"We may take over the Strait, if necessary," said President Trump during a 20-minute phone call with Fox News. "If they don't make a deal, we will charge them," he said.

Earlier, Iranian state media on Saturday reported the country's military command said it would close the Strait of Hormuz due to alleged violations of the ceasefire by Israel in Lebanon, and the US "failed to implement" the first clause of the interim agreement to end the war.

In a phone call with Fox News he appeared to threaten to continue bombing in Iran, as well as Iranian delegates.

"If you shut it down, you're not going to have a country," President Trump said.

"You won't even be able to return to your country," he continued.

Afterwards, Iranian government media reported that Tehran's delegation in Switzerland filed a protest after President Trump's threats.

"The Iranian delegation has lodged a protest with the US side and is now considering options for a proper response to Donald Trump's recent verbal threats," wrote Press TV, the Government's media channel in Iran on the social media X.

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, slammed the "desperation" of the United States after President Donald Trump threatened the Iranian delegation negotiating in Switzerland saying the US might "take over" the Strait of Hormuz if it could not reach an agreement with Iran.

"Do they never think that if their threats actually work, they will not reach this level of despair today?" he tweeted on Sunday night in a post on X.

Ghalibaf also warned the Iranian military was ready to respond if necessary.

"We do not take the American threats seriously at all," he explained.

"They should be careful with their words. Our armed forces are ready to give them a response in a different way. No matter how much they talk, we are the ones who will act," Ghalibaf said.

Iranian sources who communicated with the delegation in Switzerland told CNN that the negotiations between the Mullah State and Uncle Sam's State were stalled but not over.

"Behind-the-scenes dialogue is underway to get the diplomatic parties back," the source added.

Separately, a US official said negotiations were still ongoing and expected the delegation to "work all night"

Vice President JD Vance and the US delegation have "been engaged in continuous meetings and negotiations," a senior US diplomat involved in the negotiations told reporters in Switzerland.

"Iran is still here and discussions are still ongoing. We expect to continue working throughout the night," he continued.

The official said topics of discussion included clarifying messages from Iran about the Strait of Hormuz and building a mechanism to ensure the key waterway remains open.

"We have also discussed the mechanism for de-escalation and enforcement of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon," they said.

The official said there had been robust discussions on "all elements of the nuclear deal" as they sought to build a starting point for technical talks.