President Donald Trump warned Iran of harder military strikes. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance pushed for a diplomatic reset in Switzerland. The two developments unfolded simultaneously on Sunday, as Washington tried to both pressure and negotiate with Tehran. This has cast more uncertainty over the peace deal.
Donald Trump issues warning to Iran
Donald Trump posted a warning to Iran on Sunday, threatening further military action if Tehran does not curb the activities of its allied groups in the region. “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
The warning came as renewed strikes between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon threatened to unravel the fragile ceasefire, and as Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The latter remains a critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passes.
Despite Trump’s combative tone from Washington, Vice President JD Vance went to the Lake Lucerne Summit. The talks focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last week by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?” Vance said as talks got underway. “Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently, or do we go back to doing things the old way?”
The MOU signed last week opens a 60-day window for negotiators to finalize a comprehensive deal. This has major implications for global security and energy markets. However, the talks face serious strain. Vance had been expected to land on Friday, but those plans were delayed after the Lebanon conflict continued and Iranian officials withdrew from scheduled discussions.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran believes all regional conflicts — including the Israel-Hezbollah fighting — must end before the deal can move forward. They are accusing Trump’s administration of being “unable or unwilling” to restrain Israel.
Despite the tensions, Vance told reporters the talks had already made “great progress” and that he expected further headway in the hours ahead.
(Source: Newsweek)
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
