Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has revealed how negotiations between Iranian and US officials in Switzerland were disrupted after Tehran learned of Trump’s remarks.
“In the middle of the discussions, I learned that Trump had made threatening remarks regarding our president, the negotiating team, and possible attacks on our territory,” Ghalibaf can be seen saying in a video posted by the Iranian embassy in India.
He said he immediately raised the issue with Vice President JD Vance, who wsa leading the US delegation, telling him that the negotiations were taking place under a previously agreed understanding that ruled out threats and coercion.
“We are here engaged in talks, and according to the signed understanding, the first clause states that there should be no threats or coercion. Yet today your president has issued threats. Understand that we never negotiate under threats or pressure,” Ghalibaf quoted himself as telling Vance.
According to Ghalibaf, the Iranian delegation then ended the talks and left the meeting.
“We ended the negotiations, left the meeting, and did not return,” he said, though mediating countries Qatar and Pakistan as well as host country Switzerland, described it as a constructive meeting.
Swiss talks held via mediators after Trump threat
The Iranian speaker who was leading the delegation said the US side later sought another meeting through mediators, but Tehran declined. Instead, Iranian officials held discussions only with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
“The American side sought another meeting through the mediators, but we refused. The Qatari and Pakistani mediators then came to us, and we told them that we would speak with them, but not with the American side directly,” he said.
Ghalibaf added that the subsequent discussions with the mediators lasted around 80 minutes and eventually led to the statement released by the Pakistani and Qatari sides following the talks.
