The first day of peace negotiations between the United States and Iran at the Bürgenstock resort in the Swiss Alps ended abruptly on Sunday when the Iranian delegation left the building in protest of a message posted by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social network.
After just 80 minutes of talks, the Iranian state agency IRNA confirmed that the negotiations "entered a difficult phase after 80 minutes of discussions and a disruption due to the publication of an insulting message from the U.S. president."
The trigger was a post by Trump in which he threatened new attacks if Tehran did not rein in its allies in Hezbollah in Lebanon: "If they don't, we will attack Iran very strongly again, as we did last week, or even more forcefully."
The Iranian delegation was led by the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and also included the Foreign Minister Abás Araqchí. Qalibaf made it clear that Iran "will not negotiate under military threats" and that its forces are "ready for any scenario."
The Iranian distrust was evident even before the incident: delegation members avoided shaking hands with their U.S. counterparts and did not participate in the initial appearance alongside Vice President JD Vance, who was leading the Washington delegation, and the Prime Ministers of Qatar and Pakistan, mediators of the process.
Despite the abandonment, Vance had stated before the incident that there were "great advances" in the hours leading up to it and that the goal was to "turn the page and transform our relationship with the Iranian people."
The vice president also warned that Tehran must be "willing to stop being a factor of regional instability and to renounce its long-term aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons."
These conversations were held as a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding consisting of 14 points signed on June 17, which established an immediate ceasefire and opened a period of 60 days to negotiate a definitive agreement on ending hostilities and the Iranian nuclear program.
The memorandum also includes a reconstruction fund of 300 billion dollars for Iran, the lifting of sanctions, and the guarantee of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The atmosphere was already tense before the formal discussions began. On Saturday, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, accusing Washington of violating the recent agreement.
The meeting in Bürgenstock represented the first high-level face-to-face dialogue between Iranian and American officials in nearly half a century, since the onset of the armed conflict on February 28, 2026.
The Swiss hosts were hopeful that the discreet environment of the complex—accessible only by a road and a funicular that were closed during the meeting—would facilitate the continuation of dialogue. However, by the end of the day, neither side had confirmed whether the discussions would resume or when.
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