Future of Iran-US talks remains unclear, state TV reporter says
The future course of talks between Iran and the United States remains uncertain following comments by US President Donald Trump, an Iranian state television reporter said on Sunday.
“Whether the negotiations will continue remains unclear,” the reporter said, adding that reactions to the response by Iran’s chief negotiator to Trump’s threats would be significant in determining the next steps.
The comments came after talks between Iranian and US delegations in Switzerland were paused, with an Iranian source earlier telling Reuters that negotiations had stopped but had not ended.
Talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland were paused on Sunday but have not ended, an Iranian source told Reuters, after the first session halted following roughly 80 minutes of discussions.
Earlier, Iran's Guards-linked Tasnim news agency cited a source familiar with the negotiating team that Iran's delegation left the venue of talks in protest over comments by President Donald Trump.
Trump warned Iran on Sunday to stop what he described as its “highly paid proxies” in Lebanon from “causing trouble,” saying Washington would strike Iran again if they did not.
Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday that the Iranian delegation had left the negotiations venue after meeting with the Qatari delegation, one of the mediators involved in the talks.
The report fueled speculation that discussions between Iran and the United States in Switzerland had been suspended or ended.
However, Barak Ravid of Axios cited a diplomat participating in the talks who disputed that account.
“The Iranians haven't left and the talks between them and the US are continuing,” the diplomat said.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that negotiations on a final agreement cannot begin until key provisions of the memorandum ending the war are implemented, including a halt to fighting on all fronts and steps related to Iranian oil exports and frozen assets.
"The start of negotiations on a final agreement is contingent upon the implementation of clauses 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on X.
Baghaei said the talks in Switzerland were focused on implementing the memorandum's provisions, particularly clause 1, which he said requires "an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon."
He added that discussions were also reviewing measures designed to implement clause 10, concerning Iran's oil exports, and clause 11, covering the release of blocked Iranian assets.
Foreign journalists tour an underground tunnel in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, during an Israeli military media embed.
The Israeli army revealed on Friday that it had discovered an Iranian-financed and -designed Hezbollah tunnel in the heart of Majdal Zoun in south Lebanon that can be used to launch drones into Israel.
The aerial projectiles can reach the densely populated cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, according to an Israeli military official.
The disclosure marks the second time this month that Israel has reported discovering an Iranian-built tunnel for the US-designated terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and could impact the high-level talks in Switzerland on Sunday between the US and Iranian governments. A central security concern for Israel and Arab Persian Gulf states is the eradication of Iran’s ballistic missile and drone warfare systems.
A weapon inside a Hezbollah tunnel in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said the underground complex contained more than 50 drones, launch shafts, explosives, and other military equipment.
Israel’s government is deeply worried about Iran securing billions of dollars in sanctions relief from the Trump administration that could be used to finance Hezbollah and its subterranean military outposts across southern Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) permitted a small number of foreign journalists, including Iran International, to embed with its soldiers in south Lebanon to inspect the tunnel, which contains over 50 attack drones and a room packed with eight tons of mines and bombs.
An IDF spokeswoman said, “This is Iranian equipment and facilities and proof that Hezbollah is another proxy of Iran.” She added that it is “one of the biggest tunnels found in southern Lebanon. Rocket launchers and UAVs were found.”
Intense clashes unfolded between Hezbollah and Israel during the journalistic embed with the IDF. Israel’s military said five soldiers were killed, including the commander of the IDF’s 52 Battalion, Lt. Col. Dor Gadalia Ben Simhon. Israel’s second war with Lebanon since October 2023 began when Hezbollah fired missiles into Israel in response to the joint US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28.
According to the IDF, the tunnel was discovered less than 10 days ago, and the capture of Majdal Zoun resulted in the elimination of eight Hezbollah fighters.
The new tunnel—located a mere 20 meters from a mosque in the center of the town—contains four launch pads to fire the sophisticated attack drones into the Jewish state. “To build a tunnel with a launch site is an Iranian method,” a military spokesman noted. He added that “Hezbollah tunnels are good but not as good [as Iranian].”
The military spokesman said that the “Iranians have a very high ability to build underground. They built tunnels in Iran and in Yemen for the Houthis.”
In early June, the Persian-language spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, “The Israeli military is revealing an asset from the underground tunnel network of the Hezbollah terrorist organization that was built with the design and financing of the Iranian terrorist regime in the Beaufort Heights.”
The IDF said that the new tunnel is “over 200 meters long and more than 25 meters deep, containing four launch shafts and 12 rooms, including living quarters and rooms used to store explosive devices, anti-tank missiles, and UAVs.”
An IDF spokesman said the tunnel contains “high-level infrastructure and it is Iranian standards.”
Majdal Zoun is located roughly seven kilometers from Israel’s border. The IDF escorted reporters on Humvees for the 35-minute drive to reach the town. According to an IDF military official, the Shiite town had a population of 2,000 and “Hezbollah has great support in the village.” Since cross-border fighting began in October 2023, Majdal Zoun has become a ghost town.
Hezbollah fighters returned to the town to re-open the tunnel after it was sealed by the IDF two years ago. The tunnel and its strategic location on high territory make it a valuable stronghold of Hezbollah’s military apparatus, according to the IDF official.
The IDF official said, “It took them [Hezbollah] ten years to build it [the tunnel].”
The IDF transport of journalists to Majdal Zoun passed the Lebanese coastal town of Naqoura—the location of UNIFIL’s headquarters. An IDF official blasted the UN operation UNIFIL for failing to disarm Hezbollah, as mandated by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
An attack drone and related equipment inside a tunnel that the Israeli military says was designed and financed by Iran for Hezbollah in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon. Israeli officials said the underground facility was used to store and launch UAVs toward Israel.
UNIFIL is an abbreviation for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
The military official said that “UNIFIL is not helping at all. They are trying to hide their support for Hezbollah. UNIFIL tells Hezbollah about IDF vehicle routes.”
The IDF official said the army recently discovered a Lebanese worker for UNIFIL is also a Hezbollah terrorist. The military official also alleged that a Lebanese hotel serving Hezbollah printed identification badges for both Hezbollah and the UN.
When asked about the IDF allegations, a UNIFIL spokesman told Iran International that “I have no information,” adding that “Since today is a UNIFIL holiday, I can’t do the full check. Not everyone is working—only critical ones.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and would maintain military pressure on Hezbollah, signaling that ongoing US-Iran talks in Switzerland would not alter Israel’s security policies or constrain its freedom of military action.
“As long as I am prime minister of Israel, that will not happen,” Netanyahu said on Sunday, referring to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. “Whatever diplomatic developments may occur, I will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”
Speaking at a memorial marking the 50th anniversary of the death of his brother Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed leading the Entebbe hostage rescue operation, Netanyahu said Israel would continue defending what he described as its vital national interests.
The Israeli premier repeated his assertion that Israel’s campaigns against Iran over the past year had removed an immediate threat, arguing that without Israeli action Tehran would already possess nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu also said Israel would remain in its security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah attacks, adding that Israel would not relinquish achievements gained through its military operations against Iran and its regional allies.
