Talks aimed at a permanent end to hostilities between the United States and Iran have finally commenced in Switzerland. A delegation led by US Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian team led by Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf are participating in the negotiations. Representatives from Pakistan and Qatar are serving as mediators.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump issued warnings to Iran, urging it to immediately rein in its “proxies” in Lebanon and stop causing trouble there. He posted on Truth Social that failure to do so would result in another devastating strike against Iran.
Speaking before the talks began, JD Vance said that steps such as opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran’s nuclear program had already been accomplished. He said the questions now before everyone are: “How much more can we achieve? Can we open a new chapter for the Middle East? Can we permanently transform relations in the region — or do we go back to the old ways?” He described the talks as historic, noting that no meeting at such a high level between the two countries had ever taken place before.
The talks had been scheduled to begin two days earlier but were postponed. Just hours after a temporary ceasefire agreement was reached, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon intensified sharply. Dozens of local residents were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon. In protest, the Iranian delegation cancelled its trip to Switzerland, demanding that the attacks on Lebanon stop before talks could proceed.
It is therefore significant that as the talks finally got underway, Trump chose this very moment to issue fresh warnings to Iran — pointedly referencing Lebanon.