President Donald Trump has threatened to “take over” Iran after Tehran vowed to close the Strait of Hormuz following alleged US and Israeli ceasefire breaches.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said he had told Iranian officials: “You close the strait and you won't have a country. You won’t even make it back to your f****** country, we’ll take over the rest of the country.”
Iran said it would close the crucial waterway to tankers, but the US military had said that traffic continued to flow through the Strait and the US is monitoring the situation to ensure that continues.
The US president also warned in a post on Truth Social that the US will strike “very hard again” if it does not prevent Lebanese militants Hezbollah from “causing trouble”.
The threats come as vice president JD Vance formally launches negotiations in Switzerland between the US and Iran over curbing Tehran’s nuclear program and establishing long-term peace.
Tehran’s negotiators, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, along with central bank and oil officials, are also joining the meetings in Zurich.
Recommended
The 6 reasons Donald Trump’s terrible Iran deal looks set to fall apart – and the one reason it might survive
What next for Iran after Trump signs ‘disastrous’ deal to end war with $300bn boost and scrapped sanctions
Day of chaos in Middle East as Iran peace talks are abandoned and Israel fights Hezbollah‘I’m the president and you’re not’: Trump’s blunt message to those offering advice revealed
Analysis: The Trump administration is angry with Netanyahu – but it won’t break with Israel’s far right
Donald Trump and his deputy JD Vance have been stamping their feet over Israel’s continued war in Lebanon, which could stymie the US president’s only hope of extracting himself from a war with Iran he started alongside Benjamin Netanyahu.
But Vance’s slap at far-right members of the Israeli cabinet – that “You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have” – does not mean that Israel is likely to remain the dominant partner.
Keep reading:
Why the Trump administration won’t break with Israel’s far right
Supporters of Israel’s far right have long and deep roots in the US administration revealed in two documents, world affairs editor Sam Kiley explains Sam Kiley
Discussions with Iran are ongoing and delegation expects to continue working through the night, diplomat says
A senior U.S. diplomat engaged in the negotiations said negotiations with Iran are ongoing, and the U.S. team is expected to continue working through the night, according to the reporting pool traveling with Vice President JD Vance.
The diplomat said discussions included “clarifying some of the confusing messaging from Iran on the Strait and building deconfliction mechanisms to ensure the Strait will remain fully open.”
“We have also worked through deconfliction mechanisms and enforcing the ceasefire in southern Lebanon,” the diplomat said.
There have been “robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear deal” and plan to use Sunday’s talks to “work as a starting point for ongoing technical talks going forward.”
Trump returns to White House and trashes media coverage of Iran war
Shortly after returning to the White House from a weekend at Camp David, President Donald Trump lashed out at the “Corrupt and Failing New York Times,” which published an analysis on the U.S. war with Iran finding that neither the conflict nor an agreement to end it have definitively cut off threats from the regime.
The title is “What Changed After Almost Four Months of War? Analysts Say Not Much.”
“REALLY?” Trump responded on Truth Social.
“Their Military is DONE, their Navy is GONE, their Air Force is GONE, their Launching Pads, Missiles, Drones and Manufacturing of same, is almost GONE, their top two sets of Leaders are GONE, their Inflation is at 250%, their Economy is BROKEN, their Soldiers aren’t being paid, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN, THE OIL IS GUSHING, and the U.S. Stock Market and Jobs are at record HIGHS,” he added.
“That’s what’s CHANGED, you corrupt and unethical cowards, and MORE!!!” the president wrote.
Watch: US Vice President Vance claims Trump wants to 'turn over new leaf' in ties with Iranian people
QatarEnergy reports explosion and fire after 'operational incident'
QatarEnergy has reported an “operational incident” at a liquified natural gas facility that resulted in an explosion and a fire.
The Qatari energy producer said the fire was brought under control.
Qatar’s interior ministry said several people were injured but that no leak “poses a threat to public safety.”
Trump returns to DC after weekend at Camp David amid Iran talks
No status update on Iran talks: pool report
The group of journalists traveling with Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland hasn’t received an update on the status of the Iran talks for more than eight hours, according to a pool report.
Iran national anthem loudly booed again at World Cup before Belgium game
The Iranian national anthem was loudly booed again at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday after Iran continued their World Cup campaign against Belgium in Group G.
The reaction added to the hostile reception for the team following a similar atmosphere before they played New Zealand in a gripping 2-2 draw.
Iran national anthem loudly booed again at World Cup before Belgium game
Fans at the Los Angeles Stadium booed the Iranian anthem again, after a hostile reaction in their debut match against New Zealand in Group G as politics continue to overshadow their tournamentLawrence Ostlere and Jack Rathborn
Three-quarters of Americans say they want Iran war to end and it was not worth the cost
Three-quarters of Americans want Donald Trump’s war with Iran to end without further resumption of hostilities on either side — and almost as many say the war wasn’t worth it in the first place.
A new CBS poll released Sunday found that the president’s foreign policy choices are deeply underwater with voters as peace talks are supposedly set to continue and the administration oversees the rollout of a new ceasefire extension signed by U.S. and Iranian officials on Wednesday.
Keep reading:
Americans say they want the Iran war to end and it was not worth the cost
Nearly six in ten Americans say the war caused more problems for U.S. than it solvedJohn Bowden
Former national security adviser calls Iran deal 'flimsy'
Susan Rice, who once served as former President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, called the memorandum of understanding with Iran “flimsy.”
“It's egregious because so many concessions were granted up front in this flimsy two-page memorandum of understanding that wouldn't normally and shouldn't have been granted until after there was not only a fully comprehensive deal to at least deal with their nuclear program,” she told ABC’s This Week.
Rice said the war is “stupid,” adding that “when you wage a stupid war, that every prior president had the wisdom to avoid, that you were going to end up with either bad outcomes or worse outcomes.”
