Trump Hits Out at Iran as JD Vance Speaks of Turning Over a New Leaf
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Trump threatened tougher action against Iran as nuclear talks opened in Switzerland amid tensions over Lebanon and Hormuz Strait.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 21: Even as US Vice President JD Vance spoke of turning a new page in the Middle East, President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran, threatening military action "like last week, only harder." The remarks came after Iran once again claimed to have blocked the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday following an Israeli strike in Lebanon that reportedly killed 18 civilians.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump demanded that Iran "immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble." The reference appeared to be aimed at Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that Israel targeted in its latest attack.
"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, Vance met Iranian officials in Switzerland on Saturday to formally launch negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. The talks were attended by Pakistani representatives and are aimed at building on the interim agreement reached earlier this month. However, Iran signalled that meaningful progress would be difficult unless the fighting in Lebanon comes to an end.
Trump also warned that the United States could impose tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz if a final agreement with Iran is not reached within 60 days. He said the fees would compensate Washington for "services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East." Under the interim agreement, commercial vessels are guaranteed toll-free passage through the strategic waterway for the next 60 days.
The developments point to a challenging start for the technical-level negotiations, which key mediator Pakistan said are scheduled to begin on Sunday with participation from Qatari officials as well.
Iran's joint military command said the strait had been closed because of what it described as a US failure to uphold its commitments under the interim agreement, particularly by not helping bring an end to the ongoing conflict. Tehran maintains that the deal was intended to halt hostilities across the region.
