Iranian negotiators walked out of peace talks with the US after Donald Trump said he would “blow the s— out of them” and take over their country.
As JD Vance, his vice president, began negotiations in Switzerland, Mr Trump threatened to restart his bombing campaign on Iran, in expletive-laden phone calls and posts on social media.
Iran immediately lodged a formal complaint with Pakistani and Qatari mediators and left the talks.
Chief negotiator Mohammed Ghalibaf said the US should be careful with its statements and that “our armed forces are ready to respond.”
Earlier, Mr Vance said the US hoped to “turn over a new leaf” with the Islamic Republic, and said that they had made “great progress”, but on Sunday night, his efforts appeared to be quickly unravelling.
The talks in the scenic Qatari-owned Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock were the first to be held after a memorandum of understanding was signed between Washington and Tehran last week.
Under the terms of that deal, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened and there would be a ceasefire “on all fronts” including Lebanon.