Full story
Switzerland talks begin
U.S. Vice President JD Vance left Washington on Saturday to participate in Iran-U.S. negotiations in Switzerland, with the Swiss Foreign Ministry also announcing the arrival of the Iranian negotiating team.
Euronews reported that Vance said he hopes progress will be made in the talks on the 'nuclear issue' and the 'Lebanon ceasefire,' and that he was looking forward to technical talks with the Iranians, the Pakistanis, and the Qataris.
Euronews also said the talks were postponed due to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and that a halt to fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon, is part of the Iran-U.S. understanding.
In Iran’s view of the Switzerland talks, Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, described the purpose as 'pursuing the implementation of the other side's commitments' and not the start of negotiations to reach a final agreement.
The Iranian negotiating team was led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with Abbas Araghchi as Foreign Minister, and the talks were described as the first direct talks between the United States and Iran since the Islamabad summit in April.
Threats and suspension
As the talks proceeded at the Bürgenstock hotel complex in Switzerland, the Iranian delegation left the venue after a message deemed insulting from Donald Trump, according to state media, while a diplomat said the Iranians remained engaged and did not inform mediators of an intention to depart.
Euronews said Vance could be present for only one or two days, and it described reciprocal warnings published shortly after the talks opened, under terms requiring both sides to “refrain from threatening to use force against each other.”
On X, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf dismissed Trump’s threats, writing, “Don’t they think that if their threats had any effect, they wound not have been this desperate today? We do not count US threats for anything.”
Hürriyet Daily News reported that Qalibaf urged the U.S. on June 21 to be “cautious” in its rhetoric, warning that Iran’s armed forces are “ready to respond” to American threats.
WION reported that the first round of four-party talks concluded in Switzerland on Sunday after approximately 80 minutes, when the meeting was suspended to allow internal consultations, with no immediate details on when the next session would begin.
What’s at stake
The negotiations were framed around implementing an interim agreement and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with WION saying the talks were focused on implementing the terms of an interim agreement reached between Washington and Tehran.
“United States and Iranian delegations are holding high-level technical talks in Switzerland, as a deal signed on Thursday between Tehran and Washington is strained by continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon”
Euronews reported that the U.S. would like the first round to end with Iran inviting UN inspectors to visit Iran's bombed nuclear facilities, and that the report said the U.S. was prepared to grant Iran access to part of its frozen assets beginning with six billion dollars frozen in Qatar.
Euronews also said Iran’s nuclear program was a central point of disagreement, and it described a claim by state television that it was not on the agenda during the first session of discussions.
TRT World said Hossein Ghorbanzadeh told state media that remaining provisions of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US “will not enter into force” unless a final settlement is reached to end the war in Lebanon.
In parallel, TRT World reported that Israel announced the lifting of all restrictions imposed on northern border areas starting Monday morning, while also quoting Benjamin Netanyahu saying the Israeli army will stay in the “security zone” in southern Lebanon “as long as necessary.”
