US and Iran open peace talks in Switzerland as Hormuz closure announced and Lebanon clashes persist
Top US and Iranian delegations gathered at the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne on Sunday to negotiate a permanent peace agreement, days after signing a framework deal. The talks are overshadowed by Iran's renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz and continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Opening round of talks
Top US and Iranian negotiators converged on the Bürgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne on Sunday for a first round of direct peace talks after their Friday meeting was scrapped because of fresh Israel-Hezbollah clashes. US Vice President JD Vance was en route late Saturday, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner were already on site handling technical matters. Iran’s delegation, led by Parliament President and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi, arrived in Switzerland on Saturday evening. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Qatari representatives are mediating.
I think we will hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue and also move forward on the ceasefire in Lebanon. Those are the two big topics I think we should focus on.
Hormuz dispute flares
On Saturday Iran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz – through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes – in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. The US military contradicted that account. The framework agreement signed on Wednesday calls for the strait’s opening and bars Iran from demanding passage fees during a 60-day negotiation period. President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, threatened a US toll if no final peace accord emerges, writing that America could charge for acting as “guardian angel” of the region.
Lebanon ceasefire in jeopardy
The framework deal explicitly requires a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon – a condition Tehran insisted on. Yet hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia continued into Saturday, despite a truce that took effect Friday. Lebanese media reported at least 35 killed in Israeli airstrikes, and each side blamed the other for breaking the pause. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bakaei warned the whole accord was “in danger” if all points were not fulfilled.
The framework agreement is in danger if all points are not implemented.
The framework and reconstruction
Wednesday’s framework, signed after months of conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, sets a 60-day deadline for a definitive peace. The nuclear file is central: Trump says Iran must never obtain atomic weapons. The text also envisages a reconstruction fund worth at least $300 billion, according to Spiegel Online. Preparatory talks already took place Saturday, with working groups likely to tackle technical dossiers after the initial plenary.
- Framework agreement signed between the US and Iran.
- Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah begins; scheduled peace talks postponed.
- Iran announces Strait of Hormuz closure, US disputes it; delegations travel to Switzerland.
- Peace talks commence at Bürgenstock resort, Lucerne.
Mediator push
Pakistan, which has acted as official intermediary since April, dispatched Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Iran on Saturday to confer with Ghalibaf and Araghtschi. Meanwhile Pakistani Premier Sharif and army chief Munir are present in Switzerland alongside Qatari envoys. Israel is not a party to the talks.
