Trump warns Iran: Stop Lebanon proxies or face ‘harder’ US strikes

US President Donald Trump Sunday issued a fresh warning to Iran, demanding that it immediately rein in its proxies in Lebanon or face stronger military retaliation.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

The statement comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, despite ongoing efforts to stabilise the region through a US-Iran understanding aimed at halting hostilities. While Washington has pushed for a broader ceasefire, including in Lebanon, violence involving Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah has continued.


Meanwhile, American and Iranian negotiators convened on Sunday for a landmark round of technical talks at the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, marking a significant step in efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.

Speaking on the developments, US Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump remained committed to securing a comprehensive regional ceasefire.

“Trump is committed to seeing a full regional ceasefire,” Vance said, adding that the president had “empowered us to find a diplomatic solution to a host of issues” and had urged the team to “turn over a new leaf” in Washington’s relationship with the Iranian people.

Also Read | JD Vance calls ceasefire 'a little messy', says US has made 'great progress' in Iran nuclear talks

Vance described the talks — held in a trilateral format with Qatari mediators — as an unprecedented moment in US-Iran diplomatic engagement. “The technical negotiations may not resolve every disagreement, but they will allow us to sit together as teams for the first time in history,” he said.

“What we’re trying to accomplish is to work together through diplomacy to transform the Middle East,” Vance added, framing the central question as “whether we can permanently change relations in the region.” He said the US envisioned “a future where everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity,” while acknowledging that Washington still views Iran as “a driver of regional instability.”

Despite the optimistic tone, Vance struck a note of caution. “These kinds of ceasefires are always a little messy,” he said, even as he confirmed that the two sides had made “great progress in the last few hours.”

The framework guiding the current negotiations was signed last week, with both sides now working within a 60-day window to finalise technical details — a process with significant implications for global energy markets and international security.

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The current diplomatic push follows a dangerous escalation earlier this year, when the United States aligned with Israel in a coordinated military campaign targeting Iran’s key military infrastructure and nuclear facilities. The strikes marked a significant turning point in regional tensions, prompting swift retaliation from Tehran, which launched waves of missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory as well as on US-linked assets and bases across the Middle East.

The confrontation quickly spilled beyond direct state actors, intensifying a broader shadow conflict across the region. Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, stepped up their operations, triggering cross-border exchanges with Israel and raising fears of a multi-front war. The escalation not only deepened geopolitical fault lines but also rattled global markets, with energy supplies briefly disrupted amid concerns over the security of critical transit routes.