Former President Donald Trump issued a threat to Iranian diplomats that violated a long-standing diplomatic taboo and a memorandum of understanding signed days prior, according to analyst Richard Stengel.
While Vice President JD Vance was in Switzerland engaging in talks aimed at reaching a peace deal with Iran, Trump made a public statement on Fox News warning the delegation. "You close [the Strait of Hormuz], and you won’t have a country," Trump stated. "You won’t even make it back to your fucking country."
Stengel, a former undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, characterized Trump's statement as "puerile" and "adolescent." He argued that threatening envoys is a significant breach of diplomatic protocol, a taboo that has existed since ancient times, referencing the Peloponnesian War.
"If there is one taboo in the history of diplomacy going back to the Peloponnesian War, is you do not threaten envoys, no matter how opposed you are," Stengel said. "And there he is, threatening envoys."
According to Stengel, Trump's warning not only broke this historical precedent but also contradicted an agreement he had recently signed. "The number one plank in the Memorandum of Understanding says both parties must refrain from threats of force," Stengel noted. "He’s already violated that a dozen times."
Following Trump's comments, Iranian negotiators reportedly walked out of the talks in protest. Vance had previously expressed optimism about the discussions, telling the media that progress had been made toward transforming the relationship with Iran.