Iranian delegation exits after 80 minutes as Trump warns of strikes if Tehran fails to rein in Hezbollah; Iran insists Lebanon war must end before other talks can proceed
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![Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (third from right) and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (second from right) lead the Iranian delegation at formal talks with the United States held Sunday at Bürgenstock, Switzerland. [Reuters]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/22/news-p.v1.20260622.a2e83da817aa492d96aa7ecb8ca7d4f2_P1.jpg)
By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business
The first formal follow-up talks between the United States and Iran since the two countries signed a cease-fire memorandum of understanding broke down Sunday after Donald Trump issued a sharp warning against Tehran. The Iranian delegation walked out of the negotiating room and declared that no other agenda items could be discussed until the war in Lebanon was resolved.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the Iranian delegation left the talks in Switzerland midway through the session, according to Reuters.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said a four-way meeting that included mediators Pakistan and Qatar adjourned after roughly 80 minutes, after which the Iranian delegation departed the venue.
A member of the Iranian negotiating team told local media that "if the war in Lebanon does not end, negotiations on other topics will not proceed."
The talks were the first official follow-up session after the US and Iran signed the cease-fire MOU, convened to address limits on Iran's nuclear program, the lifting of sanctions and the return of frozen assets.
The atmosphere deteriorated sharply just before the talks began, however, after Trump issued a hardline warning.
Trump posted on his Truth Social account Sunday that if Iran failed to rein in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the United States would strike Iranian territory with overwhelming force.
Iran pushed back immediately.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament and head of the Iranian negotiating team, said that "if American threats had been effective, we would not be in the desperate situation we are in today," adding that Iran "never takes American threats seriously."
Qalibaf went on to warn that "the United States would do well to choose its words carefully," saying Iran's military "is prepared to respond in other ways and will not be shaken by any threat."
Analysts say the breakdown illustrates that the Lebanon question has emerged as the single biggest variable in the US-Iran cease-fire negotiations.
The cease-fire MOU included a provision to halt military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, but Israel has continued to carry out airstrikes targeting Hezbollah in recent weeks. Iran has characterized those strikes as a violation of the MOU and has pressed Washington to address the issue.
sjy@heraldcorp.com
