Iran-U.S. Talks in Switzerland Under the Shadow of Trump's Verbal Threats

The first round of Iran-U.S. talks, hosted by Switzerland and mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, has been disrupted by threatening remarks from Donald Trump. On Sunday, Mr. Trump said if Tehran does not restrain its proxy forces in Lebanon, the U.S. will deliver a "hard hit" to Iran again. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, head of the Iranian negotiating team, responded on X (formerly Twitter): "Don't they think that if their threats had results, they wouldn't have reached today's desperation? They better be careful with their remarks." This verbal tension coincides with ongoing clashes in southern Lebanon, which appears to have become the main threat to the Tehran-Washington agreement.