Burgenstock: Iran on Sunday cautioned the United States to “be careful” after President Donald Trump threatened strikes over Tehran’s backing of Hezbollah, even as both sides held talks in Switzerland aimed at securing a lasting end to the wider Middle East conflict, AFP reported.
Delegations met at the Burgenstock resort in negotiations meant to activate a 60‑day window to address long-standing disputes between Washington and Tehran. The opening discussions came under strain from disagreements over core issues and the risk that renewed violence in Lebanon could upend the process.
“They would do better to be careful with their statements; our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different manner. No matter what they say, we are the ones who act,” Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in reaction to Trump’s warning that the US might strike if Tehran did not “immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops would stay in south Lebanon “as long as necessary” and reiterated his pledge that he would “not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons”.
Iran’s state broadcaster reported that “No negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear programme took place during the 80-minute first round of talks,” adding that discussions focused on implementing the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington and on the situation in Lebanon. It also said the Iranian delegation refused to start until journalists left the room.
US Vice‑President J.D. Vance, accompanied by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, described the meeting as “historic” and expressed hope for a reset.
“The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf? Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently? Or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but it’s certainly very much something that can happen,” he said.
Key Obstacles
Negotiators face immediate obstacles after Iran again closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, citing recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote on X that “It is not possible to enter the negotiation phase for a final agreement” unless the Lebanon war ends.
The memorandum signed this week included a clause to halt fighting in Lebanon, but clashes have persisted, prompting Iran to threaten further closures of the vital oil and gas route.
By Sunday evening there were no confirmed fresh Israeli strikes and some residents of southern Lebanon cautiously returned home. But Tehran showed little inclination to curb its regional support for armed groups — a chief grievance of the US and Israel.
President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted Iran would retain the “right to enrich uranium,” while reiterating that Tehran denies any intention to build nuclear weapons: “We can also state in writing that we have no intention of building a bomb,” he said. Baqaei added that unfreezing Iranian assets and issuing licences for oil sales would also be discussed.
Fighting in Lebanon has continued to threaten the talks; the health ministry said the death toll in the conflict has now passed 4,100.
