The Iranian negotiating team, led by parliament speaker Mohamed Bagher Ghalibaf, went to Burgenstock, Switzerland, with the aim of forcing the issue of a ceasefire in Lebanon. Paragraph 1 of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding says that the two sides, including their alllies, “declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.” The paragraph also states that the two sides shall refrain from the use of force or threats to use force against the other.
Nonetheless, President Donald Trump punctuated the day of the talks, yesterday, with hysterical threats. “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump said, apparently referring Hezbollah and to an escalation he ordered earlier this month, reported Reuters.
Fox News reported that Trump had gone further in an interview, saying he had told Iranian officials if they closed the strait “you won’t have a country,” and threatening to take over the waterway.
At the talks in Switzerland, Vice President J.D. Vance played down the impact of violence in Lebanon, saying progress had been made towards ending hostilities there. “These things are always a little bit messy,” he said. Even as Trump was threatening Iran, Vance told reporters the U.S. president had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran.”