Vance arrives in Switzerland for US-Iran talks

United States Vice President JD Vance has arrived successful Switzerland for talks with Iranian officials connected implementing the interim woody to extremity the US war with Iran.

The US and Iran earlier this week agreed to a 60-day ceasefire hold for the negotiations, but Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps connected Saturday announced the closure of the ⁠Strait of Hormuz successful effect to Israeli attacks successful Lebanon, though the US subject said commercialized vessels kept operating.

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The talks, including mediators, were expected to commencement successful the Swiss upland edifice of Buergenstock “during the people of the morning,” Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said successful a connection connected Sunday.

The delegations are acceptable to beryllium led by Vance and Iranian main negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

“I deliberation we’re going to hopefully marque advancement connected the atomic issue, marque advancement connected the Lebanon ceasefire issue,” with a “couple days of talks” likely, Vance told reporters astatine Joint Base Andrews successful Maryland earlier departing for Switzerland.

An Iranian delegation arrived successful Switzerland precocious Saturday, authorities media and the Swiss Foreign Ministry said, with Iran’s authoritative broadcaster reporting it included the parliament talker Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters astatine Joint Base Andrews, Md., Saturday, June 20, 2026, en way to Switzerland [Elizabeth Frantz/Pool via AP]

Mediator Pakistan said its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the service chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, had besides arrived successful Switzerland to enactment successful the talks.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Buergenstock, Switzerland, said that the sides volition effort to span the spread betwixt their positions during the talks.

“And that is wherefore you’re seeing the highest level of participation,” helium said.

“The US instantly wants to spell into the atomic issue. The Iranians privation an extremity to the warring successful Lebanon,” our analogous besides said.

A halt to warring successful Lebanon was 1 of the conditions agreed this week successful the interim woody to widen the US-Iran ceasefire for 60 days and commencement talks connected Tehran’s atomic programme and different issues.

But the woody is already coming nether strain, arsenic Israel continued attacks successful Lebanon connected Saturday, sidesplitting dozens of people, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) citing the strikes arsenic it declared the Strait of Hormuz shut. The US subject said commercialized vessels had continued operating successful the waterway.

Pointing to what it called Israeli “crimes” successful Lebanon that violated US commitments to a ceasefire, the IRGC warned ships would beryllium astatine hazard if they approached the strait, a captious conduit for planetary lipid and state supplies.

But US Central Command (CENTCOM) said 55 merchant ships transited the strait connected Saturday, with much than 17 cardinal barrels of lipid bound for planetary markets. US forces volition guarantee commercialized postulation continues, CENTCOM said.

Trump said no toll would beryllium charged for transition done the strait during oregon aft the 60-day ceasefire – unless the US imposes 1 should bid talks fail.

In a societal media post, helium cited the anticipation of a toll levied by the US “for services rendered arsenic the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East” if a woody to extremity the warfare is not completed.

Wolfgang Pusztai, a information expert and erstwhile defence attache for the Austrian government, said that Iran should beryllium cautious implicit its renewed menace to again adjacent the Strait of Hormuz arsenic the captious waterway serves Tehran’s allies much than its enemies.

“The Strait of Hormuz foremost is surely a precise important instrumentality successful the strategy of Iran. There is perfectly nary uncertainty astir it. But Iran needs to beryllium cautious not to overplay this card,” said Pusztai.

“One needs to retrieve that astir of the ships passing done the Strait of Hormuz are not heading to the United States oregon to Europe. They’re heading to India, China and Pakistan.”

Iran seeks implementation of the deal

The developments could complicate talks to beforehand the interim woody brokered by Pakistan and signed connected Wednesday by presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian to extremity the astir four-month war.

Mohammad Mokhber, an advisor to Iran’s ultimate leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, accused the US connected X of failing to instrumentality the archetypal clause of its 14-point interim woody with Iran, which stipulates a ceasefire “on each fronts”, including Lebanon.

He said that if the woody were not implemented, the travel of vigor done the portion would stay halted.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said the Iranian delegation successful Switzerland was apt to absorption connected Articles 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 of the memorandum of knowing (MoU).

“These see the cessation of hostilities successful Lebanon, the lifting of the US maritime blockade, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the merchandise of Iranian frozen assets and, of course, the lifting of US sanctions erstwhile it comes to Iran’s lipid assemblage and petrochemical products and related sectors,” our analogous said.

“So the Iranians are not looking for these files to beryllium concluded successful 1 gathering here, but astatine slightest they privation the initiation of the implementation,” helium added.

“Why does Lebanon substance truthful overmuch for Iran? Overall, it’s astir Iran’s geopolitical standpoint. So if Iran wants to stay arsenic a determination power, Tehran has to support the axis of absorption alive. Iran has invested successful Hezbollah done the decades. So it is astir Iran’s determination influence. It is besides sending retired a connection to its allies and proxies successful the portion that Tehran is not going to permission them alone.”

The Lebanon truce appeared fragile arsenic Israeli forces continued their attacks connected the state connected Saturday, sidesplitting dozens of people, according to Lebanese authorities media.

The Iran-aligned Hezbollah radical besides announced attacks connected Israeli forces.

Israel claimed it was responding to attacks from Hezbollah, portion the Iran-backed fighters said Israel had repeatedly violated the truce since Friday, and it would not let Israel “freedom of movement” successful Lebanon.

The Israeli subject said 1 worker was killed successful combat, the 5th specified decease since the US-Iran woody was reached.

Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported precocious connected Saturday that the premier curate and defence curate had ordered the subject to clasp occurrence successful Lebanon, but that the subject would not retreat from captured territory.