U.S. and Iran Hold Peace Talks in Switzerland; Trump Warns of Strikes if Strait of Hormuz Is Closed

President Trump on Sunday threatened to hit Iran very hard again if it did not immediately stop its proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble or keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Trump stated that Iran would not have a country if it closed the Strait of Hormuz.

The warnings followed Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and came one day after a Friday ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah failed to stop exchanges of fire on Saturday.

Vice President J.D. Vance met Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday to begin peace talks at the Burgenstock resort. The quadrilateral discussions also involved Pakistan and Qatar and were arranged with assistance from those two countries.

Vance said the United States and Iran could turn over a new leaf and build a ceasefire into a long-term solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions. He hailed progress at the talks. Iranian negotiators left the Switzerland talks after meeting with the Qatari delegation, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.

A member of Iran's negotiation team said U.S. officials need to be careful with their statements because Iran's armed forces are ready to respond. Iran's military announced on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran later said the closure was due to ongoing Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon. A provisional deal signed by President Trump in Paris on Wednesday permits Iran to sell its oil and oil products on the market unimpeded.