DUBAI, JUN 21 (AGENCIES): Iran has reportedly suspended nuclear talks with the United States after President Donald Trump warned of further military strikes if Tehran failed to rein in Hezbollah activities in Lebanon.
According to Iran’s Fars news agency, citing an anonymous source, the negotiations at the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock are now in a state of “uncertainty”.
The development comes as a setback to what had been viewed as a promising diplomatic opening. The meetings marked the first high-level contact between American and Iranian officials in recent months, with US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leading their respective delegations. Qatar and Pakistan were also participating in the multilateral framework aimed at reviving dialogue.
However, as the talks got underway, Trump posted on social media that he would strike Iran again if it did not “immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble”, referring to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. Tehran has long maintained that its support for regional groups such as Hezbollah is non-negotiable in any nuclear agreement. Trump’s remarks were reported by Iranian state media shortly after they were made.
The Switzerland talks followed US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, including Natanz and Fordow, carried out weeks earlier. The attacks raised fears of a broader regional conflict before both sides stepped back and a ceasefire took hold. Iran condemned the strikes as a violation of international law, while the US said they were necessary to prevent Tehran from advancing its nuclear programme.
Diplomatic contacts resumed in the aftermath, with Oman and Qatar playing key mediating roles in bringing both sides back to the negotiating table in Switzerland.
The agenda for the Bürgenstock talks was expected to focus on Iran’s uranium enrichment programme and the possibility of an interim freeze in exchange for limited sanctions relief.
It remains unclear whether the talks have formally collapsed or could resume at a later stage. As of Sunday evening, neither the US nor Iranian delegations had issued an official statement on the status of the negotiations.
Monday, June 22, 2026