ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Iran to “immediately stop” its “highly paid proxies” in Lebanon from causing instability.
“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump said, in a post on his Truth Social network.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 21, 2026
Trump’s remarks came following a lull in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where an exchange of cross-border fire had subsided, allowing a fragile calm to take hold for the first time since March 2.
Trump voices frustration over Israel’s inability
In an interview with Fox News, Trump also voiced frustration over Israel’s inability to decisively weaken Hezbollah, saying he was “disappointed Israel can’t put Hezbollah away.”
“They can’t do anything without knocking buildings down,” Trump added, noting that he is “close to” asking Syria to handle Hezbollah’s file.
US-Iran talks begin in Switzerland
Meanwhile, technical-level talks between the United States and Iran began in Switzerland on Sunday under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Pakistan and Qatar acting as mediators to advance a comprehensive and permanent agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced the start of the negotiations and said it hoped the meetings would lead to “the conclusion of a comprehensive and permanent agreement addressing all aspects covered in the Memorandum of Understanding”.
Vance says significant progress made in recent hours
US Vice President JD Vance has said that significant progress has been made over the past few hours, while stressing the need for positive dialogue on key issues. He also said that he expects additional progress in the coming hours.
Referring to Iran, Vance said the country had been a source of regional instability, adding that positive discussions were needed on the issues at hand.
Vance said President Trump has asked to turn over “a new leaf” to transform the US relationship with Iran and that the technical talks would allow for both sides to sit together and work to resolve issues.
