IRAN has halted its participation in a four-party talks involving the US, Qatar and Pakistan during ongoing negotiations in Switzerland after the US threats, Iranian Foreign Ministry has announced. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei stated that a threatening US statement during the four-party meeting prompted Tehran to declare it would not continue to participate in the talks under such conditions, ‘Tasnim News Agency’ reported on X. Qatar and Pakistan tried to keep the talks going. However, Iran said it would not participate in the meeting. The Iranian delegation stressed the need to hold the other side accountable for fulfilling its commitments. Concerns were raised about the other party’s breach of trust, especially about Israel’s ongoing violations of the ceasefire, according to ‘Tasnim News’ Agency.

 

Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the US President”. The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said. The senior US diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief journalists on the ongoing talks, said late Sunday that the Iranians remained on site and the negotiations were on. Iranian state television reported Monday that the Iranian delegation had left the summit site to head to the airport in Zurich to fly back to Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media, and Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should watch what he says and also threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the news channel’s correspondents.

 

The chief negotiators for the US include JD Vance, the Vice President; special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the President. Iran is represented by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. It’s unclear when Vance will depart Switzerland, although he told Fox News in an interview Saturday that he anticipates staying only a “day or two”. Kushner and Witkoff are handling much of the technical details on behalf of the US delegation. In a joint statement, Pakistan and Qatar said the high-level talks had ended and that technical negotiations would continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week. The statement said the sides had agreed to establish a “communication line” to ensure safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a mechanism to bring about an end to the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

 

 

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against assertions that he or US President Donald Trump take directives from one another, following remarks from the American leader suggesting Israel follows his commands in West Asia. Addressing the Jerusalem News Syndicate’s International Policy Summit 2026, Netanyahu stated, “President Donald Trump does not do everything I want, nor do I do everything he wants. We are leaders of independent and proud countries; sometimes we don’t see eye to eye.” “We stand for our interests. I stand for the interests of Israel and for its security. And often we see eye to eye. Sometimes we don’t. But we respect each other’s sovereignty and leadership and commitment to our people.”, Netanyahu said. In an ‘Axios’ interview, when questioned on whether he could influence Israeli military operations to halt strikes on Lebanon, Trump claimed, “Yeah, I will be. I mean, they have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say.” While characterising his rapport with the Israeli Prime Minister as “good”, Trump said that he occasionally needs to “keep him a little bit sane”, asserting that Israel would “not exist” without American support. This diplomatic friction arises amid growing discord between Washington and Jerusalem concerning Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. Trump has cautioned that these actions threaten to destabilise the memorandum of understanding established with Iran last week following extensive diplomatic efforts. Furthermore, US Vice President JD Vance recently issued a stern admonition to members of the Israeli cabinet who have vocally opposed the deal. Vance suggested that criticising “the only powerful ally” Israel retains is ill-advised, particularly in light of the war jointly waged by the US and Israel against Iran, which commenced on 28 February. Domestic pressure is also mounting on Netanyahu’s administration. Recent polling data from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Agam Institute indicate that a majority of the Israeli public believes Iran has come out of the conflict and the subsequent US-brokered pact in a stronger position.