Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
As American and Iranian officials sat down for high-stakes talks in Switzerland on Sunday, President Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of threats at Tehran, warning of new military strikes, demanding that Iran rein in Hezbollah in Lebanon and vowing that the Islamic Republic will be wiped out if Strait of Hormuz is closed.
In a direct response to Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the US President said that he would respond with overwhelming force to any blockade of the vital shipping lane.
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“You close it, and you won’t have a country,” Trump said, referring to the strategic waterway through which a significant share of the world’s oil shipments pass.
“You won’t even make it back to your f***ing country,” Trump said, as per Fox News.
Trump later asserted that Washington could take direct control of the strait if negotiations fail.
“We may take over the Strait, if we have to. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls,” he said. Trump added that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz could be charged a toll equivalent to 20 per cent of the value of their oil cargoes under such a system.
He argued that any such tolls would be compensation for the billions of dollars the US has spent protecting shipping lanes and maintaining security in the region. Trump portrayed the US military as a “Guardian Angel” for countries across West Asia, saying Washington deserved to be reimbursed for safeguarding one of the world’s most important energy routes.
US, IRAN BEGIN TALKS UNDER INITIAL PEACE DEAL
The US President’s warning came as US and Iran’s delegation met at Burgenstock resort in Switzerland for the first round of negotiations under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance and included special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, while Iran was represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani were also part of the quadrilateral talks.
While Trump struck a confrontational tone from Washington, Vice President JD Vance sought to project optimism from the negotiating table in Switzerland.
He said progress had been made toward maintaining a ceasefire in Lebanon and reiterated Trump’s stated goal of reshaping relations with Iran.
“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 after the talks.
He admitted that efforts to end hostilities in Lebanon remain complicated.
“These things are always a little bit messy,” he said.
THE LEBANON HURDLE
Earlier in the day, Trump also threatened to attack Iran again over Hezbollah’s attack on Israel.
“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If they don’t we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
Washington has repeatedly warned that Tehran must stop Hezbollah to help stabilise the situation. Iran, however, has blamed the US for failing to ensure an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Despite a ceasefire announcement on Friday, hostilities have continued, to which, Tehran reimposed restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
IRAN STANDS FIRM
Iran has refused to move to the next phase of negotiations, including discussions on its nuclear programme, until conditions in Lebanon improve and promised economic benefits begin to materialise.
“There will be no talks on other topics as long as the situation in Lebanon is not resolved,” Iranian negotiator Mehdi Ghorbanzadeh told Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Tehran has also insisted that Washington honour commitments outlined in the MoU, including sanctions waivers and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Iranian officials said Sunday’s discussions focused largely on implementing those commitments rather than addressing broader strategic issues.
The tensions were visible well beyond the negotiating table. Iranian officials declined to join a planned photo-op with their American counterparts and later walked out of the venue amid outrage over Trump’s latest threats against Tehran.
– Ends
With inputs from agencies
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
