Iran warns of retaliation as Trump threats derail diplomatic talks
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has complicated the negotiation process between the parties with his sharp statements regarding Iran, which, according to media reports, is now under threat of collapse, reports CNN.
As the TV channel notes, citing sources, Trump has not been the first time he has negatively influenced the course of sensitive negotiations with Iran through his public statements.
In particular, a new wave of tension arose after the US president threatened on Sunday to resume strikes on Iran. These statements came shortly after US Vice President JD Vance said that Trump had sent him on a diplomatic mission to begin a new stage in relations with the Iranian people.
According to one of CNN's interlocutors, who is familiar with the course of negotiations at the Bürgenstock hotel in Switzerland, it was a "bad day for tweets" for the diplomatic process.
Following the statements of the American leader, representatives from Tehran, according to preliminary data, refused to participate in four-party negotiations involving the US and mediators — Pakistan and Qatar.
Shortly after, the head of the Iranian delegation, Mohammad Ghalibaf, responded to the US president's words on the social media platform X.
"They (US) had better watch their words carefully. Our armed forces are ready to give them a response in a different way," the Iranian official wrote.
Initially, an Iranian source told CNN that after the exchange of threats, the negotiations between Washington and Tehran had effectively reached a dead end. At the same time, the process has not yet been completely derailed, and the parties are continuing unofficial consultations, trying to bring participants back to the negotiating table.
Ultimately, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the technical groups of the US and Iran would continue their work, and the details of the negotiations would be announced by Qatar and Pakistan. At the same time, Tehran assessed the progress of the negotiations in Switzerland as good.
Tension existed even before the negotiations
The situation between the US and Iran remained tense even before the latest statements. Iran had previously announced its intention to close the Strait of Hormuz and demanded that the Trump administration secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.
In turn, the US president warned that he would strike Iran very hard again if it did not curb the activities of the Hezbollah movement it supports, which Washington accuses of escalating the conflict in Lebanon.
Furthermore, Trump threatened Iranian diplomats that they would allegedly never return home if Tehran did not open the Strait of Hormuz.
As is known, on June 21, delegations from the US and Iran arrived in Switzerland for negotiations on a possible agreement to end the war.
Earlier, Trump had also stated the possibility of imposing special fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz if a final agreement with Iran could not be reached.
