Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appeared visibly stunned on Sunday after Iran’s delegation briefly walked out of high-level peace talks at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland, reportedly in protest against US President Donald Trump‘s renewed threats towards Tehran. The incident occurred during negotiations involving Iran, the United States, Pakistan and Qatar under the recently signed Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aimed at easing regional tensions and advancing a broader diplomatic framework.A video from the meeting, which has since gone viral on social media, shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi approaching Sharif for a brief exchange before abruptly leaving the room alongside members of the Iranian delegation. Sharif appeared taken aback by the sudden departure and was later seen gesturing towards Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, while US Vice President JD Vance watched the developments from nearby before moving towards the Pakistani delegation.The walkout came after Iranian officials objected to Trump’s latest warning to Tehran to finalise a deal, stating, “or you won’t have a country”. According to Iranian state media, Tehran viewed the remarks as inconsistent with the spirit of the ongoing negotiations and raised concerns about them both publicly and privately during the talks.Iranian officials argued that the comments violated Article 1 of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, which commits both sides to refrain from threats of force while negotiations are underway. While Iranian representatives told travelling reporters that the walkout was intended as a protest against Trump’s remarks, diplomatic sources indicated that discussions continued throughout the day despite the brief disruption.
Tehran protests Trump’s remarks
Tensions had reportedly surfaced even before formal negotiations began. According to Iranian state media, Tehran declined to participate in a planned joint photo opportunity with the American delegation, dismissing it as a US “media show”.Iranian officials maintained that Trump’s public threats undermined confidence-building efforts at a time when negotiators were attempting to advance a framework for de-escalation and future agreements on sanctions relief and nuclear issues.
Awkward moment with Vance
Another moment from the talks also drew significant attention online. Footage circulating on social media appeared to show Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani greeting Sharif while not acknowledging Vance, prompting claims that the US vice president had been diplomatically snubbed. However, none of the governments involved publicly characterised the interaction in that way.Reports from the meeting indicated that Araghchi briefly entered the room before Vance’s remarks, greeting and embracing Sharif but not interacting with the US vice president. Although the optics of the encounter attracted widespread attention online, negotiators from all sides remained engaged in discussions.
Talks continued despite tensions
The quadrilateral meeting brought together representatives from Iran, the United States, Pakistan and Qatar as part of efforts to reduce tensions following weeks of military escalation in the region. Qatar has played a key mediating role in the negotiations and earlier described the emerging framework agreement as a promising first step, while cautioning that it does not yet represent a final settlement.During the discussions, Vance said President Trump still believed there was an opportunity to “turn over a new leaf” with Iran if Tehran complied with the terms of the evolving framework agreement.Despite the diplomatic friction and highly publicised moments, talks continued throughout the day as participants sought to advance the framework established under the Islamabad MoU.
