Washington, June 21 -- President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Tehran to "immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon", or the US will "hit Iran very hard again" even as bilateral negotiators continue critical talks in Switzerland aimed at defusing volatility across the region.

The escalatory warning was issued via the President's social media platform, Truth Social, marking one of the most aggressive posturing manoeuvres from Washington since the commencement of the alpine diplomatic track.

"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!!!" Trump posted.

This sharp rhetoric arrived at an incredibly s...