U.S.-Iran talks – U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian negotiators met in Switzerland to work through details of an interim U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending a broader fight, even as Tehran announced it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again and the U.S. disputes the claim
U.S. and Iranian negotiators arrived in Switzerland for Sunday talks meant to translate an interim agreement into workable steps—at the same time Tehran declared it had shut the Strait of Hormuz again.
A team led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. was scheduled to meet with Iranian negotiators led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the technical-level discussions near the Bürgenstock Resort outside Lucerne.
The talks are focused on working out key details of the interim agreement to end the Iran war. Pakistani envoys are also in place, along with Qatari mediators, as the parties try to move from a high-level understanding toward specific mechanics for stopping fighting that began in late February.
Vance said he was optimistic about making progress on talks about Iran’s nuclear program and a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.
On the eve of the meeting. however. Tehran announced it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. The interim deal between the U.S. and Iran is meant to stop fighting on all fronts. including Lebanon. and calls for billions of dollars of Iran’s assets to be unfrozen.
The strait immediately became one of the sharpest fault lines in the U.S.-Iran effort. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose American tolls in the strait if a final deal with Iran isn’t reached in 60 days. Under the interim agreement. travel through the waterway vital for the world’s oil supply is supposed to be toll-free for 60 days.
Pakistani mediators are present in Switzerland, with Pakistan’s prime minister’s office saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir are also there for the high-level U.S.-Iran talks.
The technical-level discussions at Bürgenstock Resort come after Sharif dispatched his special envoy. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. to Tehran to persuade Iranian authorities to send a delegation to Switzerland. The meeting was originally scheduled for Friday but was delayed because of concerns raised by Iran. Naqvi later informed Islamabad that Iran was willing to attend the talks, and Pakistan conveyed the development to Washington.
Tehran’s latest claim about Hormuz deepened the urgency around whether the interim deal is holding in practice.
Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that the strait was closed again because of the U.S. “clear breach of its commitments” by failing to end the war. The interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts. including in Lebanon. where Israeli forces are battling the militant Hezbollah group.
The U.S. disputed Iran’s announcement. U.S. Central Command said traffic continues to flow and that 55 merchant ships transited on Saturday with more than 17 million barrels of oil.
Ships began transiting after the interim U.S.-Iran agreement was signed last week. Under the interim deal, the U.S. lifted its blockade of Iran’s ports and now allows Tehran to sell its oil freely—terms that have left some in U.S. Congress questioning whether the war was worth it.
The interim agreement signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear agreement, with the time able to be extended.
The coming days in Switzerland will test whether the parties can keep the ceasefire and the nuclear track moving forward while the Strait of Hormuz remains a live lever in the conflict—whether declared open, declared closed, or contested in between.
U.S.-Iran talks JD Vance Switzerland Strait of Hormuz Masoud Pezeshkian Abbas Araghchi Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf Lebanon ceasefire interim agreement Jared Kushner Steve Witkoff Shehbaz Sharif Asim Munir Mohsin Naqvi
Hormuz closing again?? feels like they just say it to scare people.
So Vance is in Switzerland and meanwhile they closed Hormuz? I don’t even get it, like how does that help anything. Also Jared Kushner being there just makes it feel like business first.
Wait, are they talking about ending the war but also shutting the Strait of Hormuz? That sounds backwards. Maybe it’s not really “closed” and they just mean like less shipping or something. Either way, the whole oil thing is gonna spike prices and then people act surprised.
Switzerland talks… with Kushner and Witkoff… and “Qatari mediators” like where was this energy when Lebanon started heating up. And if Trump has 60 days and they’re already arguing about who arrived where, this is gonna fail. Also I heard somewhere that Hormuz is basically always “closed” when Israel does stuff, so not sure why they’re pretending it changes the outcome.