Vance lands in Switzerland to launch 60-day talks with Iran over nuclear programme and Lebanon ceasefire

Arrival and context

US Vice President J.D. Vance touched down at Emmen airbase near Lucerne, Switzerland at 5:59 local time on Sunday, accompanied by his wife. His arrival marks the formal opening of negotiations with Iran after a preliminary memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on 18 June by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian. The talks were delayed from Friday after fighting flared between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Tehran ordered the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Vance’s departure from Washington followed confirmation that Iran’s delegation had reached Switzerland on Saturday.

Key players at the table

The Iranian team is led by parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, deputy security council chairman Ali Bagheri Kani and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati. On the US side, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and peace missions envoy, have been on the ground since Saturday tackling the “technical elements of negotiations”. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Gen. Asim Munir are also in Bürgenstock as mediators, together with representatives from Qatar.

What the preliminary deal covers

The MOU freezes active hostilities and sets a 60-day clock for technical talks, with an option to extend. It orders the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, lifts the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and grants free passage for commercial ships during the negotiation window. The document further commits the parties to negotiate the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, the lifting of all sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, and a $300 billion reconstruction programme for Iran. Israel and Hezbollah are not signatories.

I think we can, hopefully, make progress on the nuclear issue and on the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Straits, oil and the ceasefire

Iran’s announcement that it would close the Hormuz Strait cast a shadow over the talks, but the MOU explicitly bars transit fees for 60 days. President Trump insisted on Saturday there would be no charges during that period, adding a veiled warning.

Otherwise we will do things that won’t make them happy, but I don’t think it will come to that.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered separately, took effect on Friday at 16:00 local time. However, both sides have accused each other of violating it, and Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei cautioned that the US-Iran preliminary deal would be at risk if its provisions were not implemented swiftly.

The preliminary agreement will be at risk if its provisions are not quickly implemented.

What comes next

Vance said he plans to stay “only a day or two”, leaving detailed negotiations to Witkoff and Kushner. He stressed that the goal is to establish a “proper negotiation structure”. The 60-day window is tight, given the technical complexity of verifying nuclear constraints and agreeing on sanctions relief. The presence of Pakistan and Qatar as mediators adds diplomatic weight but also signals the fragility of the process. The Strait of Hormuz remains the choke-point; the MOU’s language on future fees and administration will be a flashpoint if not clarified.