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Negotiations between the United States and Iran begin amidst obstacles and setbacks. Donald Trump's threats threaten to complicate the dialogue even further, and Tehran protests to the point of halting it. The talks are stalled, but progress is being made to keep channels open ahead of the second round, which is expected to take place today, Monday, June 22.
After the signing of the memorandum of understanding, direct confrontation began on Lake Lucerne to end the war and ensure stability in the region.
A complicated mission from the start, with opposing positions and unreconcilable objectives. Trump's explosive contribution arrives from afar, thundering as Vice President J.D. Vance leads the US delegation to Switzerland: "If the Iranians close the Strait of Hormuz, they will no longer have a country."
The American president's words triggered an immediate reaction.
Iranian media announced the suspension of negotiations amid protests from the Islamic Republic's delegation. The official delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left the meeting, according to the official Iranian news agency IRNA. A diplomatic source noted that the emissaries "remain busy" in Switzerland.
"After a meeting with the Qatari mediation delegation, the delegation left the building where the negotiations were taking place. At the same time as the negotiations began in Switzerland, Donald Trump published a message reiterating his threats and remarks against Iran," the agency wrote.
The US president quickly becomes the center of attention. While Vance in Switzerland announces "great progress" in the negotiations, on the other side of the pond, Trump threatens to strike Iran if "it doesn't immediately force its proxies in Lebanon (Hezbollah, ed.) to stop making trouble. If they don't, we will hit Iran again very hard, just like we did last week, only even harder!!!," he writes in a post on Truth. The president shortly thereafter makes his voice heard on Fox News: the topic is the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran is using as a bargaining chip in the negotiations. "Close the Strait and you will no longer have a country," Trump's ultimatum, which goes so far as to suggest a completely "made in the USA" scenario: "We could even take over the Strait, if we were forced to," he adds, also suggesting the United States could play a role as "guardian" of the Strait. "If they don't make a deal, we will collect the tolls," he says.
There are still 24 hours to reach a solution. The negotiations, Axios reports, conclude today and will then continue at the technical level, again in Switzerland. The parties involved, writes journalist Barak Ravid, are pleased with Sunday's talks. Iran's Fars news agency reports that a draft agreement for the provisional exemption of oil sales from US sanctions is nearly complete. The negotiations also covered all aspects of Iran's nuclear program, explains Axios's source, providing a different version than the one leaked by Tehran, which formally excluded nuclear power from Sunday's agenda.
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