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Talks in Switzerland, strait dispute
Iran and the United States are set to begin technical-level talks in Switzerland on Sunday after Pakistan said the postponed meeting would start there, as Tehran announced it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
“Vance says US-Iran talks could begin as early as Sunday: Fox News US Vice President JD Vance said US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have already arrived in Switzerland for talks with Iran”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that an Iranian delegation including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was heading to Switzerland, and Iran’s state broadcaster reported the team had arrived in Zurich.
The Al Jazeera report said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it was re-imposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz and warned ship crews not to approach the waterway, while the U.S. military said its forces were still operating in the “general area” and “remain present and vigilant.”
The dispute over the strait came alongside a Lebanon ceasefire that Israel agreed to on Friday, but with attacks continuing into Saturday and killing at least 32 people, according to Lebanon’s civil defence and state media reports.
In Washington, JD Vance’s press secretary said Vance departed for Switzerland on Saturday and that he would only be able to stay in the country for a day or two, while expressing hope progress could be made on both the Lebanon ceasefire and the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Voices clash over Hormuz
Iran’s joint military command said the closure was the “first step” in response to breaches of commitments by the U.S. and Israel, while the U.S. denied the strait was shuttered and said traffic continued to flow.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins told Reuters, “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that “Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”
President Donald Trump threatened to impose U.S tolls in the waterway if a final deal with Iran isn’t reached within 60 days, and in a social media post he said the agreement establishes toll-free travel through the strait for 60 days.
In the same reporting, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the trip was a “mission to demand the fulfillment of the other side’s obligations,” adding that “negotiations for a final agreement” will begin when such obligations are implemented.
Al Jazeera’s James Bays said there are indications “things are moving backwards from when the MoU was signed,” citing Israel’s continued bombardment of southern Lebanon, and he described Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz as “their best weapon.”
What’s at stake next
The MoU signed earlier in the week declared a permanent end to “military operations on all fronts”, including in Lebanon, and it stipulated that a final deal should be reached within 60 days, “extendable with mutual consent.”
“Pakistan says talks between the United States and Iran which were postponed on Friday will begin in Switzerland on Sunday, as Tehran announced it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon”
Al Jazeera reported that even getting to the negotiating table proved difficult after Iran failed to send its delegation for a round of talks planned for Friday, as deadly Israeli strikes persisted in Lebanon and killed at least 32 people into Saturday.
The NBC News account said the continued military bombardment has threatened to derail the fragile U.S. peace talks with Iran, while Israel’s Defense Forces said Hezbollah breached the ceasefire and “launched more than 50 projectiles toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon” overnight.
In Switzerland, the Iranian delegation is led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi, and the U.S. side is represented by Vice President JD Vance as he joins technical discussions with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.
The stakes for the talks are tied to the nuclear programme, with the planned meeting on Sunday starting technical-level negotiations toward a final US-Iran deal and the MoU’s 60-day timeline shaping whether the interim accord can move forward.
