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US president’s threats come as Vance joins other US officials in Zurich to hammer out peace deal terms with a battery of Tehran’s leaders
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Iran hit back at Donald Trump on Monday after the US president threatened to “take over the rest of the country” if the Strait of Hormuz is closed again.
“You make threats; we take action,” Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, wrote on social media in apparent reference to Trump.
“The Strait of Hormuz is neither your personal casino nor the backyard of modern-day pirates; these are Iranian sovereign waters, and the ultimate decision rests with the noble people of Iran and its brave armed forces.”
Iran lifted its effective blockade of Hormuz last week after agreeing with the US to extend a ceasefire to allow for peace negotiations, but Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday declared the waterway shut once again, in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
The US president said in response he had warned Iranian officials that “you close [the strait] and you won’t have a country”, Fox News’s Trey Yingst reported on Sunday.
High stakes talks aimed at finalising a deal to end the war are meanwhile expected to continue through the week, after a “difficult” start that saw Iranian negotiators walk out over Trump’s “insults”.
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.
In the poll, 78 percent of U.S. adults say that they want the war to be over, a clear refutation of the Trump administration’s insistence that Americans would be willing to weather economic pain and frustration in exchange for removing the supposed threat of Iran’s nuclear weapons.
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An explosion tore through Qatar’s key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that hurt at least 54 people as another 18 were still missing hours later.
The blast at the Ras Laffan industrial area could cause further chaos in global energy markets, particularly as Qatar remains one of the world’s top natural gas producers. Qatar shut down its production after Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz meant it couldn’t get shipments out to its clients.
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took to social media on Sunday to share the national team’s efforts to hold Belgium to a draw in the World Cup.
Iran have two points and will next face Egypt in Seattle on Friday. Their campaign has been overshadowed by restrictions on their stay in the US surrounding the conflict.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Pakistan and Qatar had delivered ‘major progress’ to end the fighting in Lebanon.
In focus was a ‘deconfliction cells’ between the US, Iran and Lebanon to ensure adherence to a renewed ceasefire brought in last week.
Araghchi said this would be the first test to come from talks.
Iran left a message in their SoFi Stadium locker room on Sunday thanking Los Angeles for its hospitality during the World Cup and saying they are leaving with dignity after a 0-0 draw with Belgium kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Los Angeles hosted both of Iran’s Group G matches so far, with the team returning to their base in Tijuana, Mexico between games. Iran have spent the tournament based in Tijuana commuting to the US for their matches because of restrictions surrounding their stay in the country, while a number of Iran’s team staff and officials have been banned.
“From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast,” read the handwritten note, which was released by Iran’s football federation. “Thank you Los Angeles for your hospitality. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity.”
The note also thanked Iranian supporters who gave their “heart, voice and soul” for the team during the two matches and ended with a call for peace, respect and friendship among all nations.
Switzerland says in a statement that they welcome the “constructive progress made during diplomatic talks” overnight betwen the US, Iran and mediators.
“Switzerland welcomes the establishment of a high-level committee by the parties on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding. This is a positive step, which will help to structure the next phase of the political and technical process,” they add.
“Switzerland particularly welcomes the agreement on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days. This roadmap creates the conditions for the immediate resumption of new technical discussions.”
Switzerland says it remains ready to have a role in supporting the diplomatic process.
The dust has barely settled in Tyre after weeks of Israeli airstrikes on the ancient city along Lebanon ‘s Mediterranean coast. Despite the relative calm, life remains largely at a standstill.
A new ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group is in effect. But previous ceasefires have broken down.
Uncertainty and fear linger, even as the U.S. and Iran meet for talks in Switzerland that Lebanese residents hope will bring calm to their troubled country.
Here’s how Tyre is weathering the latest conflict as the war in Lebanon threatens to derail the peace process:
Donald Trump threatened to “take over” Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not immediately re-opened, the president told Fox News.
His latest round of threats came in response to news Saturday that Iran was once again closing the key waterway, just days after signing an agreement to ensure that traffic could flow through. Iran announced that it would close the Strait of Hormuz after Israeli forces continued an all-out assault into Lebanon aimed at dislodging Hezbollah militants.
Fox’s Trey Yingst reported Sunday that in an early morning phone call, the US president said he’d warned Iranian officials directly that “you close [the Strait of Hormuz] and you won’t have a country.”
“You won’t even make it back to your f***** country,” Yingst said the president claimed to have relayed to the Iranians, adding: “We’ll take over the rest of the country.”
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