Washington: US President Donald Trump warned Iran of harder attacks if it did not stop what he called its proxies in Lebanon, as Israel continued bombing Hezbollah locations despite a ceasefire.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran must stop its “highly paid” proxies in Lebanon from “causing trouble.” He added that the United States would hit Iran “very hard again” if it did not comply.
The warning came as senior Iranian and US officials met in Switzerland, with Pakistan and Qatar involved as mediators. The Strait of Hormuz remained closed, according to the Iranian military, due to alleged ceasefire violations by Israel.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported Sunday that a source close to the negotiating team said the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen while the Lebanon ceasefire remained unfulfilled. The source also linked reopening to waivers that would allow Iranian oil sales.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli soldiers faced no restriction in acting against threats in Lebanon. He said troops remained in positions inside the security zone.
Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people in Lebanon on Saturday. Israel said the strikes responded to projectiles fired by the Iran-backed Hezbollah at its troops in southern Lebanon.
Technical-level talks between the US and Iranian delegations began in Switzerland, with Pakistan acting as mediator. The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance and included special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Read: US-Iran Talks Switzerland Historic: JD Vance
Vance met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir before the talks. Iran’s delegation, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, later met the Pakistani side.
Vance said Washington wanted Iran to play a positive role in peace efforts. He also said the technical negotiations might not solve every disagreement, but would allow both sides to sit together as teams.
