High-stakes negotiations between the United States and Iran unraveled dramatically in Switzerland on Sunday after Iranian delegates abruptly left the talks and declined to participate in a planned photo opportunity with Vice President JD Vance. The breakdown came after President Donald Trump issued a series of blistering warnings aimed at Tehran, including threats to seize the Strait of Hormuz and “blow the …. out of them.”

According to Iran’s state-run news agency, the discussions ended after only 80 minutes when the talks entered what officials described as a “difficult phase” following “an insulting message by the US president.”

Earlier in the day, Vance, who was leading the American negotiating team, had expressed optimism about improving relations, saying Washington hoped to “turn over a new leaf” with the Islamic Republic.

The meetings were held at the Qatari-owned Buergenstock mountain resort in Switzerland and marked the first round of negotiations conducted under the memorandum of understanding reached between the two countries a week earlier.

Any expectation of diplomatic progress quickly evaporated after Trump, facing criticism from some quarters for being overly accommodating toward Iran in the memorandum, issued a stern warning that Tehran would face severe consequences unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz and restrained its network of terrorist proxies.

Trump’s harshest remarks were reportedly directed at the Iranian delegation participating in the Swiss talks.

“You won’t even make it back to your ……. country,” an irate Trump told Iran’s leaders, according to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst.

“You close it, and you won’t have a country,” he said of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We may take over the Strait, if we have to. I’ll blow the …. out of them.”

The threats followed an announcement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps on Shabbos claiming it was closing the strategically vital shipping lane because of the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

Iran also entered Sunday’s negotiations seeking to focus heavily on the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues military operations against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror organization.

While the talks were originally intended to center on Iran’s nuclear activities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran insisted that no further negotiations could proceed until hostilities ended and economic incentives were guaranteed.

Trump also vented his frustration on Truth Social, blaming Iran for fueling the conflict and demanding that Hezbollah be brought under control.

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” the president wrote. “If they don’t we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Ghalibaf dismissed Trump’s rhetoric, characterizing it as evidence of “desperation.”

“We don’t take the Americans’ threats seriously,” he wrote on X.

Ghalibaf also warned that any military action would trigger a response from Tehran.

“They had better watch their statements,” he hit back.

“Our armed forces are ready to respond in another way. Whatever they say, we are the ones who will act.”

Following the collapse of the talks, Ghalibaf and fellow senior negotiator Abbas Araghchi reportedly declined to participate in a scheduled handshake and joint photograph with American officials, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Iranian officials dismissed the event as an American “media show,” fueling concerns that Washington mishandled the opening phase of the negotiations.

U.S. officials rejected suggestions of a diplomatic snub, arguing that Tehran was exploiting the incident for propaganda purposes.

The American delegation was headed by Vance and included special envoy Steve Witkoff as well as Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Morgan Ortagus, the deputy U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, said Trump’s latest comments signaled a major shift in Washington’s posture following the concessions many believed the administration was prepared to make during the previous week.

“This is a game-changing announcement by the President as it relates to his policies towards Iran — if Hezbollah strikes, the President is now vowing he will hold Iran responsible and will hit them in return,” Ortagus wrote on X.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has consistently advocated a harder line against Iran, agreed that Tehran would bear responsibility if efforts to stabilize Lebanon failed.

Graham also expressed skepticism that the diplomatic initiative would succeed.

“I’d rather try diplomacy than take it off the table,” the lawmaker told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“If you don’t have a diplomatic path through the MOU, then you have to go to war or some other form of coercion. Let’s try this. Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail.” he added.

The senator predicted that Trump would eventually resort to military force if negotiations collapsed, including seizing control of the Strait of Hormuz and dealing a devastating blow to Iran.

“I spent four-and-a-half hours with President Trump Friday. Here’s what I think will happen next. If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force,” the hawkish senator explained.

Trump himself also floated the possibility of direct American control over the strategic waterway and suggested Washington could establish its own “Guardian Angel” toll program after repeatedly objecting to Iranian plans to charge transit fees.

“We may take over the Strait, if we have to. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls,” he said, not specifying who the US will charge.

The remarks marked a significant escalation after the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was thrown into doubt last week amid renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

That conflict prompted Iran to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, where the regime has proposed implementing a toll system once the current 60-day negotiation period expires.

Previous reports indicated that Tehran was considering fees of as much as $2 million per tanker for vessels passing through the narrow channel.

A brief easing of tensions over the weekend allowed maritime traffic to resume temporarily. According to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, 67 ships transited the Strait on Saturday after 55 vessels made the crossing on Friday.

Before the conflict erupted, roughly 20 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz each day, with more than 130 ships traversing the critical route daily.