Trump’s Threats Just Blew Up The Iran Peace Talks

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Peace talks are hard enough without one side threatening to “blow the s out of” the other.

That is apparently what happened in Switzerland.

According to reports, Iranian negotiators walked out of follow up peace talks after President Trump made a series of aggressive comments directed at Iran and Hezbollah.

The talks were supposed to build on a recent memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Instead, Iran reportedly complained to mediators from Pakistan and Qatar and left the negotiating table.

Iranian negotiator Mohammed Ghalibaf responded by saying Iran’s armed forces are prepared and that the United States should be careful with its language.

These talks were already hanging by a thread after recent strikes and a fragile ceasefire agreement reached around June 17.

When both sides are trying to convince their own supporters they are not backing down, public threats can quickly become part of the negotiation itself.

Maybe the comments were intended to increase pressure.

Maybe they were aimed at a domestic audience.

Maybe they were meant as a warning.

But if the goal was getting both sides to stay in the room, it appears to have had the opposite effect.

Now the question is whether this is a temporary walkout or the beginning of another breakdown in negotiations.

Because once people stop talking, the alternatives tend to get much more dangerous.