US and Iran open peace talks in Switzerland as Trump threatens strikes over Lebanon ceasefire violations
Negotiations to end the four‑month‑old US-Iran war started on Sunday at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, with Vice President JD Vance reporting “great progress” even as President Donald Trump warned Tehran to rein in Hezbollah or face renewed attacks.
Talks open on a Swiss mountain
Almost four months after the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran, delegations from Washington and Tehran sat down at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland on Sunday. The talks, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, aim to turn a framework agreement reached on Wednesday into a comprehensive treaty within 60 days. US Vice President JD Vance leads the American side; Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf heads the Iranian team. Vance called the negotiations “historic” and said Trump had instructed him to “open a new chapter” with the Iranian people.
The president has asked us to turn the page and reframe our relationship with the Iranian people. In the past few hours alone we have already made great progress, and I expect we will make more.
Trump’s parallel threat
The optimistic tone from Switzerland was undercut by a Truth Social post from Trump. He demanded that Iran “immediately stop its highly paid, affiliated groups in Lebanon from causing trouble” – a reference to Hezbollah – or “we will attack Iran again very hard, as we did last week, if not harder.” The warning came hours after the vice president spoke of a “shared future” and “peace and prosperity.”
Iran must prevent its highly paid proxies in Lebanon from stirring unrest. Otherwise we will attack Iran again very hard, like last week – only harder.
Fragile ceasefire in Lebanon
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah brokered on Friday is already faltering. On Saturday, Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people in the Bekaa Valley and the port city of Tyre, including a child, a woman and two elderly people, according to Lebanese state media. Israel says it is responding to Hezbollah fire. The US-Iran framework agreement envisages a region‑wide truce, but neither Israel nor Hezbollah were party to the deal.
- Framework agreement reached between the US and Iran.
- Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire comes into effect.
- Israeli strikes kill 20 people in Lebanon; Iran closes Strait of Hormuz.
- US and Iran begin peace negotiations in Switzerland.
Strait of Hormuz stays shut
Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping, citing the Israeli attacks on Lebanon. The Revolutionary Guards’ navy has not issued any transit permits, the Fars news agency reported, contradicting US military claims that commercial vessels are still moving. Reopening the waterway, through which a large share of global oil transits, is a central topic in the Swiss talks.
Iranian appeal for diplomacy
Iran’s ambassador to Germany, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, released a statement calling the framework agreement “a significant success” and proof that “diplomacy remains the most effective path to peace.” He described the path to the deal as “painful,” noting that 168 schoolchildren were among the civilian casualties of US and Israeli strikes. He called for international support of the diplomatic track.
