Direct talks between the US and Iran begin in Switzerland on Sunday, despite Tehran’s claim that it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz following Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
Iran said the closure was prompted by what it described as a breach of its agreement with the US to end the war. However, the US military disputed the claim, insisting that maritime traffic remains unaffected.
US Vice-President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland early on Sunday ahead of a fresh round of negotiations expected to begin later in the day.
An Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived on Saturday night.
Officials from both countries will be joined by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, as Islamabad continues its role as a mediator in the conflict.
“Pakistan will continue to support the implementation of the understandings between Iran and the United States,” the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement ahead of the talks.
Speaking before departing for Switzerland, Vance said he hoped to make progress “on the nuclear issue” and on the “Lebanon ceasefire issue”.
Addressing the situation in Lebanon, he said: “Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit.”
“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That’s fundamentally the goal of this, to make the whole region safe and secure,” he said.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran would be “demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments”.
The talks come days after US and Iranian leaders signed an initial agreement aimed at ending the conflict, including fighting in Lebanon, with immediate effect. The deal also commits both sides to further negotiations over the next 60 days in pursuit of a final settlement.
The process has been complicated by continued clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 47 people were killed on Saturday in a series of Israeli air strikes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck 80 Hezbollah-linked targets and killed “dozens” of fighters, while also reporting the deaths of four Israeli soldiers.
Although Israel and Hezbollah continued exchanging fire after the US-Iran agreement was announced, an immediate ceasefire between the two sides was confirmed on Friday.
Before the agreement, Israel had maintained that it would not withdraw its forces from Lebanon and argued that its conflict with Hezbollah was separate from the war involving Iran.
Hezbollah accused Israel of attempting to “sabotage” the broader US-Iran agreement through its continued military operations in Lebanon.
The US has criticised Israel’s ongoing actions in Lebanon, which became directly involved in the conflict after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, 4,057 people have been killed since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on 2 March.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Israeli strikes in Lebanon violated ceasefire commitments and announced that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again after previously reopening following the US-Iran deal.
The Iranian military justified the move by accusing Washington of failing to implement the first clause of the 14-point memorandum of understanding, which calls for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.
However, US Central Command (Centcom) rejected Iran’s assertion. Centcom spokesperson Tim Hawkins said “traffic continues to flow” through the strategic waterway.
He added that US forces were “monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case”, stressing that “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz”.
Centcom also disclosed that 55 merchant ships carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil for global markets passed through the strait on Saturday.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
