JD Vance begins talks with Iran on permanent peace deal as Trump threatens strikes

Meetings of U.S., Iranian, Qatari and Pakistani representatives, including U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, right, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, commenced Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, in efforts to reach a deal. Photo by Pool /Photographer: Pool/Getty Images

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The U.S. and Iran began talks in Switzerland on a peace deal to settle the issue of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and permanently reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as President Donald Trump once again threatened strikes if Hezbollah keeps attacking Israel.

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The first high-level meetings of U.S., Iranian, Qatari and Pakistani representatives commenced Sunday in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi among attendees.

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As the meetings got underway, Trump said in a social media post Sunday that he would strike Iran again if it doesn’t “immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble.”

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He also warned Iran that the U.S. might start collecting tolls if there’s no deal. Speaking Sunday to Fox News, he said he told Iranian leaders directly that if they close Hormuz, “You won’t even make it back” to Iran, using an expletive.

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While a hard-won interim deal has signalled a pause in U.S.-Iran hostilities, Sunday’s discussions are likely just the start of protracted wrangling that will span topics including Iran’s nuclear capabilities and economic relief for Tehran.

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“What today really represents is the beginning of a technical negotiation that’s not going to solve every disagreement,” Vance told reporters, speaking alongside officials from Pakistan and Qatar, who are acting as mediators.

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The meeting “is going to allow us to sit together as teams for the first time really in history to figure out what matters most to the respective parties, to settle those issues, to solve those issues, and get to a better tomorrow,” Vance said.

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The semi-official Tasmin news agency said the Iranian delegation opposed a joint photo with the U.S. delegation, citing a person familiar with the matter.

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Iranian media reported the round of talks will last one day, with officials from Tehran meeting mediators before holding discussions with the U.S. later Sunday.

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The stakes are high, and recent fighting between Israel — which isn’t a party to the provisional deal — and Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah threatens to derail the diplomacy.

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Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency said the main topics of the talks would be a “comprehensive ceasefire” in Lebanon, from where it demands Israel withdraw, and the fate of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen overseas.

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Tehran on Saturday accused Israel of violating a truce in Lebanon and said the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for global energy supplies, would be shut again. Despite the announcement, millions of barrels of oil continued to flow through the waterway.

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Speaking Sunday to Fox News, Trump said he told Iranian leaders that if they close Hormuz, “You won’t even make it back” to Iran. Joint Maritime Information Cente

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Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed by Trump on Wednesday, the U.S. and Iran have 60 days for negotiations, although the pact allows for an extension.

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Earlier, Vance said the goal is to get “the actual structure of negotiation in place,” building on technical discussions in Switzerland involving Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s two global negotiators.

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Iran’s announcement on Hormuz cast a cloud over the talks, but the immediate impact on vessel traffic was unclear. Even before the recent ceasefire, millions of barrels of oil had been quietly escaping the waterway each day.