US President threatens military action if vital oil corridor remains blocked, as negotiators clash in Switzerland despite interim peace deal.
DUBAI: High-stakes peace talks between the United States and Iran in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, have entered a highly volatile phase after US President Donald Trump issued a fierce warning to Tehran, declaring that Iran will face devastating military retaliation if it attempts to permanently shut down the Strait of Hormuz. The diplomatic stand-off has severely overshadowed the negotiations, which are being led on the American side by Vice President JD Vance.
The renewed friction threatens to completely derail an interim memorandum of understanding signed just last week, which had temporarily halted a grueling 110-day conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran. President Trump, speaking to Fox News, took an uncompromising stance against the Iranian delegation, warning that a failure to keep the shipping lanes open would result in unprecedented military action. “You close it and you won’t have a country,” Trump asserted, while additionally taking to his Truth Social platform to demand that Tehran immediately rein in its proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.
In response to Trump’s aggressive rhetoric and threats, the Iranian delegation, led by chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, briefly staged a dramatic walkout from the Swiss venue before being drawn back to the table by Qatari and Pakistani mediators. Ghalibaf dismissed the American warnings as a sign of “desperation,” reiterating that Tehran’s armed forces stand fully prepared to respond to any Western aggression.
The primary catalyst for the diplomatic breakdown remains the ongoing conflict in Lebanon. Iran claims its recent re-closure of the Strait of Hormuz was triggered by a clear breach of commitments, citing continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon. Under the initial framework of the 60-day interim deal, a comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts—including Lebanon—was supposed to be strictly enforced in exchange for Washington granting major oil sanctions waivers to Tehran.
