A photo shows a general view of the room ahead of a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. AFP
“The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, after meeting with the Qatari delegation as one of the mediating parties, left the building where the negotiations were being held,” Iran’s state news agency IRNA said.
The walkout came after Trump posted on Truth Social: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble.” He added, “If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
The memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 between the United States and Iran explicitly bars the threat or use of force under Article 1.
Iranian state media and sources close to the negotiating team said the delegation left the venue following the remarks.
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned Washington against making threats, saying Iranian forces were prepared to respond.
“Don't they think that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached today's state of desperation? We do not take American threats into account,” he said. “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.”
The talks had begun earlier on Sunday in Switzerland, with Pakistani and Qatari officials also participating, and were the first since Tehran and Washington signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17 aimed at ending the regional war sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Before the walkout, Fars news agency reported the first round had been “paused after 80 minutes for internal consultations,” while a source told Al Arabiya Al Hadath the delegations were expected to resume talks.
Iranian state television said no discussions were held on Iran’s nuclear programme during the session, adding that talks focused on Lebanon under the agreement.
The agreement was already under strain before the meeting. On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 people in eastern and southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities, despite a ceasefire that took effect the same day.
Tehran maintains the ceasefire in Israel’s war on Lebanon must be upheld, while Israel has refused to comply. Iranian officials have said the US must press Israel to halt attacks and withdraw from southern Lebanon before any broader agreement can move forward.
Tensions rose further ahead of the talks after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli “crimes” in Lebanon and reiterating that ending hostilities across all fronts is central to the agreement with Washington.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who travelled for the talks, paid tribute to children killed in Minab and other Iranian war dead.
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance said “great progress” had been made ahead of the meeting and envisioned a future where both sides “can work together to promote peace and prosperity.” He added that President Donald Trump remained committed to a full regional ceasefire, while acknowledging such efforts were “a little bit messy.”
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