Iran walks out of negotiations after Trump’s assassination threat | World | News
Donald Trump threatened Iran (Image: Getty)
Iran abandons peace talks in Switzerland; The delegation from the Middle Eastern country refused to return to peace talks until US President Donald Trump apologized for what appeared to be an assassination threat to Iran’s negotiating team on Sunday (June 21).
According to Fox News, Trump said he told Iranian officials: “If you close the strait, you don’t have a country. You can’t even go back to your damn country… We’ll take over the rest of the country.”
“If necessary, we can capture the Bosphorus. I will bore them.”
In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote: “Iran must immediately stop its highly paid PROXYS from causing trouble in Lebanon. If they don’t, we will hit Iran hard again, just like we did last week, harder!!!”
Negotiators perceived the statements of the 47th President of the United States as a direct assassination threat and, as a result, they are refusing to resume peace talks until Trump apologizes for his tirade.
Iran has also said Israel must fully withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, in addition to Trump’s apology, to see the Gulf nation return to peace talks.
Trump’s verbal attack on Iranian officials came after Islamic Republic military officials announced on Saturday, June 20 that Iran would re-close the Strait of Hormuz due to violations of the interim peace agreement between the two countries.
JD Vance sent to Switzerland (Image: Getty)
Iranian officials confirmed their delegation’s withdrawal from the peace talks in a statement shared on the state-backed Iranian news agency Tasnim. The statement translated into English includes the following statements: “The Iranian delegation expressed its protest to the American side and is currently reviewing the appropriate response to Iran.” Donald Trump‘s last verbal threats”.
The statement said that “any threat is considered a serious violation” of the already fragile ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
It was not clear which statement by Trump they were specifically referring to.
In a phone call with Fox News’ Trey Yingst on Sunday, Trump was told that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would maintain its right to enrich uranium.
Trump responded, “He better watch his mouth” and “He better get his act together, or we’ll take over the rest of the country.”
The US President stated that the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran is “just an option”.
“After this option, I can do whatever I want,” Trump added.
Before Iran’s withdrawal from peace talks in Geneva, US Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner had met with senior Iranian officials, as well as mediators from Qatar and Pakistan, to discuss the finer details of the current peace deal.
After initial talks on Sunday, Vance told the media that “great” progress had been made toward a future “where everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity.”
Trump’s latest outburst appears to have put the peace agreement, which is now just days old, under pressure, until protests come from Tehran following the US President’s latest comments.
