Qatar reports that US-Iran talks in Switzerland continue

The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Abdulrahman al Thani, reported this Sunday that talks between the United States and Iranian delegations meeting in Lake Lucerne in Switzerland are continuing.

“We welcome today’s meeting in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, and the continuation of the United States-Iran talks,” Al Thani posted on social media after Iranian media announced that the Tehran delegation had withdrawn from the negotiating table in protest against threats from US President Donald Trump.

Al Thani expressed his gratitude “to Pakistan and all the parties that have contributed to this process and we hope to continue building.” He has also cited the contribution of Switzerland for hosting the meeting.

“Qatar will remain dedicated to supporting this mediation until the end, until we reach a solution. We will always be there to achieve more peace, prosperity and, hopefully, a better future for our region,” said Al Thani from Switzerland.

Sources close to the negotiations cited by the Tasnim news agency, dependent on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, had previously reported the withdrawal of the Iranian negotiators in response to a message from Trump. In fact, there has been speculation that Trump would publish a lower-key message to facilitate negotiations.

“I told them that if they close the strait they will be left without a country. They won’t even be able to return to their fucking country,” the US president had assured the Fox News network at a crucial moment such as the beginning of the Bürgenstock diplomatic summit.

What’s more, Trump has once again insisted on his threat that the United States could perfectly well take the Strait of Hormuz by force and even act as a “toll collector,” as Iran has done during the conflict.

The president has assured that he could even become the “guardian angel of the Strait and keep 20% of the oil.” “We could take control of the strait if necessary. I could devastate the country if I wanted. And if they don’t reach an agreement, we will collect the tolls,” he warned.

Trump, finally, has blamed Iran for the new spike in violence in Lebanon, a factor that could derail negotiations. The US president has moved away from his criticism of Israel in recent days and pointed directly to Tehran and its strategic relationship with the Shiite Hezbollah militias.

“Iran must immediately stop its well-paid representatives in Lebanon so that they stop causing problems. If they don’t, we will hit Iran very hard again, just as we did last week, but harder,” the US president warned.