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The president Donald Trump issued a new direct threat against Iran this Sunday through his platform Truth Social, demanding that Tehran immediately halt its armed groups in Lebanon or face military reprisals more severe than those carried out last week.
"Iran must immediately stop its PROXIES (allied groups or militias backed by Tehran) that are highly paid in Lebanon from causing problems. If they don't, we will hit Iran very hard again, just like last week, but harder!" wrote Trump on Truth Social.
The message arrives at a time of extreme tension: the very day when Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Switzerland to lead the first round of technical negotiations with Iranian delegates at the Bürgenstock complex.
The threat explicitly refers to the bombings carried out by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on June 11 against Iranian targets — surveillance, communication, and air defense facilities — as retaliation for the downing of an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz on June 9.
Iran responded on the same day by attacking 18 targets linked to U.S. bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, in one of the highest escalations between the two countries in decades.
The immediate trigger for Trump’s new warning appears to be the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran on Saturday, in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that resulted in at least seven deaths, including two minors, in towns such as Nabatiyeh.
That closure occurred just one day after Trump lifted the maritime blockade on Iran and reopened the strait, as part of the temporary agreement announced on June 14.
Also on Saturday, the negotiations between Iran and the United States in Doha were suspended at the last minute due to complications directly related to the conflict in Lebanon, where Hezbollah —considered the main armed group funded by Tehran— remains active.
Lebanon has become the main obstacle to consolidating the nuclear agreement between Washington and Tehran. A memorandum of understanding signed between June 16 and 18 opened a 60-day window to negotiate a definitive agreement, with Iran committed to maintaining the current status of its nuclear program and the United States refraining from imposing new sanctions.
The main point of technical dispute is the duration of the moratorium on uranium enrichment: Washington demands 20 years, while Tehran proposes between five and 15.
Before heading to Switzerland, Vance clarified the main focuses of the meeting in Bürgenstock: "I can only be there for one or two days. I hope we can make progress on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon. These are the two main topics we need to focus on."
The threat from Trump published this Sunday—while Vance was traveling to Switzerland for the first technical round—illustrates the ongoing tension between the diplomatic approach and military pressure that defines the U.S. administration's policy towards Iran, in a process that the CIA director already warned on June 16 could fail if Tehran does not comply with the agreement.
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