US-Iran negotiations aimed at resolving tensions over the Strait of Hormuz have been disrupted after Iranian negotiators walked out of talks in Switzerland in protest over threats made by US President Donald Trump.
The Iranian delegation left the high-level discussions after Trump threatened further military action against Iran and suggested he could take control of the Strait of Hormuz unless it was reopened.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan continued efforts behind the scenes, with it unclear whether the walkout was permanent or a symbolic protest.
Before leaving, Iran and the US had reached a draft agreement on a mechanism for Washington to issue a waiver allowing Iranian oil exports to resume, a key condition before Tehran agrees to further negotiations over its nuclear program. Iranian officials said progress had also been made on unfreezing overseas assets.
The talks follow a memorandum of understanding signed last week between the US and Iran, which included a 60-day negotiation period on Iran’s civilian nuclear program and reopening the strategic waterway.
Iranian officials argued Trump’s public threats contradicted the non-aggression commitments included in the agreement. Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticised the comments, saying: “Don’t they think to themselves that if their threats had any effect, they wouldn’t have reached the desperation they face today? We don’t take the Americans’ threats into account at all.”
The dispute was also fuelled by continued fighting in Lebanon. Iran accused Israel of breaching the memorandum’s ceasefire commitments after attacks killed more than 30 people, while Trump demanded Iran stop supporting Hezbollah.
“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again,” Trump wrote on social media.
In a Fox News interview, Trump said the US could take control of the Strait of Hormuz if necessary and warned Iran over keeping it closed.
“You close it and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your fucking country,” he said.
The comments prompted a formal complaint from Iran to mediators, with officials accusing the US president of “bullying”.
The approach contrasted with that of Vice-President JD Vance, who said Trump wanted the talks to represent a turning point in US-Iran relations.
“What the president has asked us to do, is turn over a new leaf, to transform our relationship with the people of Iran,” Vance said, adding that the US was prepared to improve relations if Iran abandoned regional instability and nuclear weapons ambitions.
The US said shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had continued despite Iran’s renewed blockade, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright claiming dozens of vessels had passed through in recent days.
Iran has said negotiations must focus on the Lebanon ceasefire, reopening the strait, lifting US sanctions on oil exports and releasing frozen assets. Nuclear discussions, including future international inspections, are expected to continue after sanctions issues are addressed.
Source: Guardian.
