Trump threatens – President Trump threatened new attacks on Iran while Vice President JD Vance was in Switzerland on Sunday for talks aimed at ending the Middle East conflict—talks that already face intense strain after Iran said it closed the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli strik
President Trump’s warning landed while Vice President JD Vance was still meeting in Switzerland: Iran must stop “highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon,” or the president said the U.S. will “hit Iran very hard again,” “just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
The threat was posted on Sunday. even as Vance—who arrived in Switzerland early Sunday morning—told reporters the negotiations were moving in the right direction. He spoke of “great progress” over “just the last few hours. ” and said he expected “additional progress in the hours to come.” He also acknowledged the talks can be “a little bit messy.”.
Vance’s meetings in Switzerland are designed to advance a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both the U.S. and Iran last week, aimed at ending fighting in Lebanon. But the agreement is under intense strain—most sharply after Iran announced a day earlier that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah. an Iranian-backed militant group.
Iran’s military said the Strait closure was tied to the ongoing exchanges, and Iran framed the decision as a response to what it called the U.S. failure to rein in Israel. Iran said that the terms of last week’s tentative agreement specify that all fighting in Lebanon must end.
Even with Iran’s announcement, U.S. Central Command said shipping through the strait was proceeding normally. That contradiction sits at the center of a tense standoff: one side says the waters are being shut down over Lebanon, while the other insists the flow remains unaffected.
Alongside Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz dispute, the negotiations also include Iran’s nuclear program—another major fault line. On Sunday morning. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium. and the other side is also forced to accept it”. Iran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear program is peaceful.
The delegation mix in Switzerland reflects the wide net being cast to stop the fighting. Vance met with representatives from Pakistan who have been brokering the talks. including Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir. An Iranian team is also attending. Mediators from Qatar and Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are present as well.
Despite a ceasefire announced on Friday. Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire throughout Saturday. keeping pressure on the negotiation track. The Lebanese National News Agency said at least 16 people, including civilians, were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday. Israel said the strikes were a response to Hezbollah firing projectiles at its forces overnight on Saturday. Hezbollah said it fired in response to Israel moving toward Lebanese territory.
Yet on Sunday, the interim head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon told NPR that, for the first time since the war between Israel and Hezbollah started on March 2, UN peacekeepers recorded no attacks from either side.
Vance’s message to reporters was that the talks are still moving. When asked whether he had a message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. he said disagreements about “precisely how to get there” are normal. adding: “I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There’s still some additional wood to chop, but we’re going to keep on working.”.
He also claimed the U.S. has done more than any other government to stop the conflict in Lebanon, saying the U.S. “has ‘done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world.’”
Another point of pressure is procedural: neither Israel nor Lebanon has signed the Memorandum of Understanding. even though it is meant to guide the parties through a new phase. The agreement calls for respect of Lebanese sovereignty—a provision Iran says the U.S. must enforce—and it calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon.
The sequence of events—Trump’s threat of renewed force against Iran. Iran’s announcement that it closed the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command’s insistence that shipping was still proceeding normally. and the continued exchanges in Lebanon even after a ceasefire announcement—has turned diplomacy into a high-wire effort measured in hours. Vance may have been in the rooms in Switzerland insisting progress is being made. but the battlefield reality has kept pushing the talks toward the edge.
United States politics Donald Trump JD Vance Iran Switzerland talks Memorandum of Understanding Strait of Hormuz Israel Hezbollah Lebanon Masoud Pezeshkian Rafael Grossi IAEA Pakistan mediation Shehbaz Sharif Asim Munir CENTCOM
So basically vibes-based threats again??
Vance in Switzerland doing “progress” while Trump is yelling “hit Iran harder” is wild. Like which is it, negotiations or war mode. Also closing the Strait of Hormuz sounds like it would mess up gas prices immediately.
I don’t get why they keep talking like Lebanon is the whole problem. If Iran closed the strait then Central Command saying it’s “normal” feels like spin. Maybe they just don’t want anyone panicking, or maybe it’s already happening behind the scenes. And “proxies in Lebanon”?? That’s been going on forever, so hitting harder doesn’t even sound new.
Every time they say “moving in the right direction” it ends up messy. Trump threatening Iran “just like last week” makes it sound like they’re testing stuff and seeing reactions, idk. If Iran really did shut Hormuz then that’s huge, but if shipping is “proceeding normally” then… who’s lying, Iran or the U.S.? Feels like nobody’s telling the same story.