Iran-US war latest: Tehran tells Trump the Strait of Hormuz ‘is not your personal casino’ after new threat

US president’s threats come as Vance joins other US officials in Zurich to hammer out peace deal terms with a battery of Tehran's leaders

by Alex Woodward & James C. Reynolds

Iran hit back at Donald Trump on Monday after the US president threatened to “take over the rest of the country” if the Strait of Hormuz is closed again.

“You make threats; we take action,” Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, wrote on social media in apparent reference to Trump.

“The Strait of Hormuz is neither your personal casino nor the backyard of modern-day pirates; these are Iranian sovereign waters, and the ultimate decision rests with the noble people of Iran and its brave armed forces.”

Iran lifted its effective blockade of Hormuz last week after agreeing with the US to extend a ceasefire to allow for peace negotiations, but Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday declared the waterway shut once again, in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

The US president said in response he had warned Iranian officials that “you close [the strait] and you won’t have a country”, Fox News’s Trey Yingst reported on Sunday.

High stakes talks aimed at finalising a deal to end the war are meanwhile expected to continue through the week, after a “difficult” start that saw Iranian negotiators walk out over Trump’s “insults”.

Trump accuses newspaper of ‘treason’ after it questioned what the Iran war had actually achieved

Donald Trump has again lashed out over negative press coverage of his war with Iran, singling out The New York Times for criticism after it asked what the conflict had actually achieved.

“The way the Corrupt and Failing New York Times is covering stories on a very battered and beat up Iran, through FAKE & MADE UP ‘FACTS’ is, in my opinion, ‘TREASONOUS,’” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform late Sunday.

“I will be adding all of their false and ridiculous reporting to my multi Billion Dollar lawsuit against them. They are Criminals!”

The four issues in focus as talks begin in Switzerland

JD Vance outlined four US priorities for initial talks with Iran in Switzerland on Monday.

The first was a mechanism for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, he said, insisting that the waterway is currently open. He added that they need coordination to rid the channel of mines.

They also want to ensure a similar mechanism for regional ceasefire, after Israel and Hezbollah renewed their agreement to stop clashes in Lebanon.

Vance said Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors into the country.

And Vance said they also set up a process for talks to continue after the lead negotiators leave Switzerland today.

Iran agreed to allow more nuclear inspectors, Vance says

JD Vance told reporters in Switzerland on Monday that Iran had agreed to admit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as talks continue.

He said the development “is probably what we’re most excited about as Americans”.

“That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” he added.

What did the US and Iran agree in Switzerland?

Negotiators for the US and Iran met in Switzerland over the weekend for talks on a lasting resolution to the conflict.

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said they had agreed to a roadmap towards a final deal on ending their war in 60 days.

They also said the two sides had agreed to a mechanism to end fighting between US ally Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

And they said they had opened a communications line to help ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the strait, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas.

Technical talks will continue for the rest of the week in the Qatari-owned Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock, the joint statement said.

Oil tanker traffic picks up through Hormuz

Two crude tankers with just under 2 million barrels of oil sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, ship tracking data showed, in a sign that traffic was picking up following weaker flows on Sunday due to concerns over passage through the waterway.

Separately, two supertankers, which can carry a maximum of 4 million barrels of crude, sailed into the Gulf through the strait on Monday with one of the vessels showing the Iraqi port of Basra as its destination, according to separate shipping tracking data and analysis from Kpler.

The sailings through Hormuz are still a fraction of the average daily crossings of 125 vessels before the Iran war began on February 28.

Iran's president expected to visit Pakistan tomorrow

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to visit Pakistan on Tuesday, the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency reports.

The visit will likely be a one-day trip and would be his first trip abroad since 2025. The Iranian president visited Pakistan last August.

Recap: Trump threatens to 'take over' Iran again

Donald Trump threatened to “take over” Iran if they try to close the Strait of Hormuz again during a turbulent weekend for diplomacy as negotiators met in Switzerland to begin a period of high-stakes talks to end the war.

The US president said he had warned Iranian officials directly that “you close [the strait] and you won’t have a country”, Fox News’s Trey Yingst reported on Sunday, as Iran again restricted maritime traffic in response to Israel’s clashes with Hezbollah.

“You won't even make it back to your f***** country,” the president said he told the Iranians, adding: “We'll take over the rest of the country.”

High stakes talks aimed at finalising a deal to end the war are expected to continue through the week, after a “difficult” start that saw Iranian negotiators walk out over Trump’s “insults”.

The first round of talks nonetheless concluded early on Monday morning, with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi praising Pakistan and Qatar for their mediation and saying they “delivered major progress”.

And despite the public bluster, JD Vance told reporters that Trump had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran”.

Israel will not withdraw from security zone in Lebanon, reiterates defence minister

As US and Iran began talks in Switzerland on Sunday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz took to social media to reiterate that the IDF would not withdraw.

“Israel has no intention of withdrawing from the Beaufort, which is an integral part of the security zone in Lebanon and essential for the defense of the Galilee settlements and IDF forces.”

Israel captured the medieval Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon on 31 May and have vowed to stay.

“As Prime Minister Netanyahu and I have clarified - Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon.”

Dollar steady as first round of US-Iran talks ends

The dollar was steady on Monday after the first round of US-Iran talks ended, although threats from President Donald Trump left investors nervous.

A joint statement from mediating nations Qatar and Pakistan said the US and Iran agreed to a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days, providing hope for an eventual resolution of a conflict that has cast a shadow over the global rates outlook.

The parties agreed to a mechanism to end the fighting in Lebanon and opened a communications line to help ensure safe passages for commercial ships through the contested strait, the statement said.

Oil prices fell over 1% after the announcement with Brent crude futures last at $79.36 a barrel. O/R