Trump threatens to 'hit Iran very hard again' while Vance in Switzerland for talks

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. News Trump threatens to 'hit Iran very hard again' while Vance in Switzerland for talks June 21, 20261:29 PM ET By Chandelis Duster U. Vice President JD Vance, right, meets with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict, at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, in Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. Nathan Howard/Pool /AP hide caption toggle caption Nathan Howard/Pool /AP President Trump has threatened further attacks on Iran while Vice President Vance attended talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday.

"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!! " Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday.

The Details

Middle East JD Vance arrives in Switzerland for talks with Iran over fragile peace deal A day earlier, Iran's military announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. failure to rein in Israel violated the terms of last week's tentative agreement, which specifies that all fighting in Lebanon must end. Also on Sunday, Vance, who arrived in Switzerland in the early morning, met with representatives from Pakistan who have been brokering the talks – including with the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Sponsor Message An Iranian team, mediators from Qatar and Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are also attending the meetings. The talks are focused on a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by both the U. and Iran last week, but which is already coming under intense strain.

While Iran on Saturday said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, U. Central Command has said shipping through the strait was proceeding normally. Also under discussion is Iran's nuclear program, another controversial topic.

What Experts Say

On Sunday morning, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said: "What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it". Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. Despite announcing a ceasefire on Friday, Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire throughout Saturday, further putting pressure on the negotiations.

Despite the tensions, Vance claimed the talks were going well, telling reporters on Sunday: "We've already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we'll make additional progress in the hours to come. " Vance said there has been "great progress" in the last couple of days and "these things are always a little bit messy" when asked if he had a message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.