Iran is demanding a formal apology from President Trump and a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon as conditions for continuing nuclear negotiations in Switzerland, according to reports by Axios and Iranian state media. Internal consultations have begun and talks are expected to continue overnight.
Iran has hardened its preconditions for continuing nuclear negotiations in Switzerland, now demanding a formal apology from President Trump and a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon before talks can resume, according to reports by Axios and Iranian state media late Sunday. Internal consultations are underway and discussions are expected to continue overnight, Axios reported. The demand emerged after the first round of quadrilateral U.S.-Iran talks in Bürgenstock, which lasted approximately 80 minutes, entered internal consultations.
The thread has developed rapidly since 20:48 Jerusalem, when The Zioneer first reported that the Iranian delegation refused to return to the negotiation hall without an apology and an IDF pullout from southern Lebanon. By 20:48, Al-Mayadeen and Reuters confirmed the talks were suspended but not terminated. An Iranian source told Reuters the talks were suspended, not concluded. Disputes erupted after President Trump issued public warnings toward Iran; Tasnim news agency reported that the Iranian delegation refused a planned handshake and walked out, though Axios cited a diplomat saying the delegation had not left and talks were ongoing. By 20:48, Al-Mayadeen reported that negotiations would not resume without a presidential apology — initially from a single, unnamed source, later corroborated by multiple outlets.
As The Zioneer reported on Thursday, June 18, Iran earlier delayed its delegation's trip to Switzerland, citing Israeli strikes in Lebanon as a violation of diplomatic understandings. On Saturday, June 13, journalist Amichai Stein reported that the talks center on an Iranian demand for full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, which Israel rejects — a theme that now echoes in the current ultimatum. President Trump has warned that the U.S. would hit Iran "very hard" if its proxies in Lebanon continue hostilities, and the IRGC Navy says the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
What remains open: the actual status of the Iranian delegation — whether it has left the venue or remains in internal consultations — continues to be reported in conflicting terms. The scale of Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon demanded by Iran has not been specified in operational terms by any source. The U.S. and Israeli responses to Iran's new conditions have not been reported. Iran's formal protest, that Trump's remarks violate Clause 1 of the procedural agreement requiring both sides to refrain from threats, has been noted by state media but not addressed publicly by Washington.
6 developments
- StrongIran conditions war-ending deal on Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIran says ceasefire insufficient, won't begin final-deal talks until Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon
- StrongIran confirms it will attend Switzerland talks, demands US enforce halt to Israeli Lebanon strikes
- StrongIran says negotiations will stop if Israel does not withdraw from Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake