The first talks between the United States and Iran over a possible end to hostilities took place in Switzerland but were heavily strained by threats from US Donald Trump. Trump warned Iran to prevent the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon from causing unrest, or else face a harsh military response. “Otherwise, we will attack Iran very hard again, just like last week, only harder,” Trump declared on his platform.
After these remarks, the Iranian negotiators left the hotel where the talks were being held. According to the state news agency Irna, the threat was perceived as “insulting.” The negotiations, which were mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, entered a difficult phase after 80 minutes when Trump posted an insulting message.
US Vice President JD Vance described the talks as “historic” and stressed that “great progress had been made.” Vance expressed a desire to open a “new chapter” in US-Iran relations and spoke of a shared future where everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity.
The talks on the Bürgenstock in Switzerland followed a memorandum of understanding signed a week earlier between the US and Iran. This includes, among other things, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a cessation of all hostilities, including between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. However, over the weekend, Iran announced that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again due to renewed Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
The US government contradicted this statement, saying that 67 ships had passed through the strait in the last 24 hours. Trump had also considered introducing tolls for the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Israel announced it would lift all restrictions in northern Lebanon that had been imposed due to the conflict with the Hezbollah militia.
The Israeli military said that as of Monday morning, “all restrictions in the area of the confrontation line would be lifted” and “unrestricted activity without any limitations” would resume. This adjustment of regulations was decided after a situation assessment.
Source: www.zeit.de
