A new round of negotiations between the United States and Iran on the conflict in the Middle East is set to begin in Switzerland on Sunday. An aircraft carrying the Iranian negotiating team arrived in the host country hours before the expected arrival of U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance, despite Tehran’s announcement that it would again close the Strait of Hormuz due to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Before boarding his flight to Europe, Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews: “I think we will make progress on the nuclear issue, and we will make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two main matters that I believe we will focus on.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir departed for Switzerland to participate in discussions on implementing the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said Sharif is expected to hold bilateral meetings with participating delegations on the sidelines of the talks and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for implementing the understandings reached between Tehran and Washington.
The negotiations had originally been scheduled to begin on Friday but were postponed at the last minute following an escalation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon after four Israeli soldiers, including an officer, were killed by Hezbollah fire.
Washington subsequently helped broker a renewed ceasefire in Lebanon, a condition linked to its preliminary agreement with Iran. However, Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters reportedly clashed again on Saturday, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.
Iran’s Central Operations Command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, citing what it described as “the United States’ clear failure to honor its commitments” and continued Israeli ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon.
Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding remotely, providing for an end to the war, including the Lebanon front, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
The U.S. Central Command stated that safe passage through the international waterway remains in place and that American forces remain vigilant.
Trump later warned that Washington could impose its own transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz if negotiators fail to reach a final agreement, writing on Truth Social that there would be no fees “unless imposed by the United States and for the benefit of the United States.”
Preparatory diplomatic talks began on Saturday, according to Swiss authorities.
Swiss Mediation Efforts
Iranian state media and Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry reported that an Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland late Saturday.
Iranian state television said the delegation includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the delegation would seek implementation of the commitments undertaken by the other side under the agreement.
Vance departed Washington on Saturday afternoon and indicated he would only remain in Switzerland for a day or two.
In an interview with Fox News earlier in the day, he said that U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already in Switzerland handling technical aspects of the discussions and had reported that “things are going well.”
Pakistan also confirmed that technical-level talks would take place on Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with Pakistani and Qatari mediators participating alongside American and Iranian delegations.
The negotiations are expected to continue over the next two months and will address unresolved issues left out of the preliminary agreement, particularly Iran’s nuclear program.
Lebanon Ceasefire Under Pressure
Israel and Hezbollah continued exchanging accusations on Saturday as fighting persisted in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military announced the death of one of its soldiers in southern Lebanon, bringing the number of Israeli military fatalities since the signing of the memorandum to five.
An Israeli military official said the army had received orders from the political leadership to halt combat operations in southern Lebanon, adding that Israeli forces were acting defensively within the declared security zone and were not conducting preemptive strikes.
Earlier, another Israeli military official said new operations were underway after Hezbollah allegedly fired more than 50 rockets at Israeli forces overnight.
Hezbollah accused Israel of attempting an infiltration operation toward the Ali Al-Taher heights under cover of the ceasefire, claiming its fighters ambushed the force and repelled it with appropriate weapons.
Lebanese state media reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted approximately 20 locations, while authorities recorded more than 30 fatalities.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry stated that the total number of people killed during the fighting in Lebanon has exceeded 4,000.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said that “the resistance has every right to confront this enemy when it attacks us.”
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire and said Israel was defending itself against terrorist attacks.
Hezbollah responded by asserting that Israel bears “full responsibility.”
Fadi Zayat, a resident displaced from the southern Lebanese town of Tayr Debba, told AFP that “fear dominates the south.”
“We returned to the village only a few days ago, but our bags are ready in case we have to flee again,” said the 53-year-old.
Hezbollah entered the regional conflict in early March after launching rockets at Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack.
A previous ceasefire agreement reached in April was not fully respected, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
AFP
