US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to strike Iran if the nation does not prevent Hezbollah from “causing trouble,” coinciding with the commencement of peace talks between senior US and Iranian officials in Switzerland.
These negotiations opened against a backdrop of recent clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah—a Tehran ally—in southern Lebanon, which threaten to derail the preliminary peace agreement between the two nations.
“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people on Saturday in eastern and southern Lebanon, followed by a lull in fighting that evening when the Israeli army received orders to halt clashes with Hezbollah.
The memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday between the United States and Iran stipulates a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
At the beginning of the talks in Switzerland on Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance stated he had seen “great progress in the last just couple of days in ensuring that the ceasefire holds in Lebanon.”
“We’re all working towards regional peace,” he said. “I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There’s still some additional wood to chop but we’re going to keep on working at it.”
Vance asserted that Trump and the United States had done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any other country in recent months.
