Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf urged the U.S. on June 21 to be “cautious” in its rhetoric following threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Iran’s armed forces are “ready to respond” to American threats.
In a post on the social media platform X, Qalibaf questioned the effectiveness of U.S. pressure on Tehran.
“Do they not ask themselves that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached this state of despair today? We do not rely on American threats,” he wrote.
He added that U.S. officials “should be cautious in their statements,” warning that “our armed forces are fully prepared to respond in a different way.”
“Whatever they say, we are the ones who will act,” Qalibaf said.
Iran’s negotiating team has protested U.S. President Donald Trump’s “threats” during ongoing talks in Switzerland, arguing that the remarks constitute a “violation” of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
Citing the Iranian negotiating delegation, Tasnim reported that Trump’s “threats” against Iran and its negotiating team represent “a blatant violation” of the first article of the memorandum of understanding.
According to the delegation, Article 1 of the memorandum requires the U.S. to refrain from issuing a “threat.”
The agency also reported that the Iranian delegation departed the venue of the talks with the U.S. following Trump’s “threats.”
Earlier on June 21, Trump urged Iran to “immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble,” or Washington will hit Tehran “very hard again.”
“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
According to Fox News, Trump also spoke with Iranians overnight and warned that if they close the Strait of Hormuz, “you won't have a country.”
“You won't even make it back to your f----- country.”
“We may take over the Strait, if we have to,” Trump said.
He said that the U.S. could become the "Guardian Angel" of the Strait of Hormuz and take 20 percent of the oil. "If they don't make a deal, we'll collect tolls," the U.S. president added.
In the interview with Fox News, Trump said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has insisted that Iran maintain its right to enrich uranium, “better watch his mouth.”
“He better shape up or we’ll take over the rest of the country,” Trump said.
First round of Iran-US talks concludes in Switzerland
The first round of four-party talks involving Iran and the U.S., with mediation by Qatar and Pakistan, concluded in Switzerland Sunday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a source familiar with the Iranian negotiating team.
According to the source, the initial round of the Swiss-hosted negotiations has now been completed.
The meeting was suspended after approximately 80 minutes of talks to allow the participating delegations to conduct internal consultations, the source added.
No further details were immediately released on when the next session would begin.
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported that bilateral discussions between the Iranian and Qatari delegations began after the conclusion of the four-party meeting.
IRIB also reported that the first round of discussions did not address the nuclear file but centered on implementing Clause 13 of the memorandum of understanding, with priority given to the Lebanon file.
The deal includes provisions such as ending the war, including in Lebanon, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and lifting the U.S. naval blockade imposed on Iran.
Clause 13 states that, following the signing of the memorandum and the commencement and continuation of implementation of clauses 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11, Iran and the US will begin negotiations on a final agreement based exclusively on the remaining provisions of the document, with priority given to the Lebanon file.
Earlier in the day, Qatar announced the start of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland with the participation of Qatari and Pakistani mediators to discuss the implementation of the terms of an interim agreement between the two sides.
U.S. and Iranian delegations arrived early in Switzerland for technical negotiations under the memorandum of understanding that was signed on June 17 to end the months-long Middle East conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks in Burgenstock are led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the Iranian side, under Pakistani mediation.
