Vance wants to “turn a new leaf” as US-Iran negotiations begin in Switzerland | News

US Vice President JD Vance said Washington wants to “turn a new leaf” in the Middle East as negotiations on an interim deal to end the war with Iran are underway in Switzerland.

His comments came even as US President Donald Trump again threatened further strikes against Iran, prompting a rebuke from Iran’s top negotiator.

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The United States and Iran agreed to a 60-day ceasefire extension for negotiations earlier this week, but Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a new closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, although the U.S. military said commercial ships continued to operate.

The talks, attended by mediators, began Sunday in the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock and are led by Vance and Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

In the meeting room, Vance spoke to reporters alongside Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

The vice president first called Iran a “driver of regional instability” before declaring that “great progress” had been made.

“The opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the end of Iran’s nuclear program – all of those things have been accomplished,” Vance said. “The question now is how much can we achieve together? »

“Can we turn the page? Can we change relations in the Middle East?”

Sharif struck a more cautious tone, saying he hoped the discussions would end with a “wonderful document in our hands that will promote peace, progress and prosperity throughout the world.”

The Iranian delegation did not speak during the opening speech, nor did it appear in photos or images alongside Vance, indicating “how tense things are,” Al Jazeera’s James Bays reported from Burgenstock.

A first-round quadrilateral meeting between Iran, the United States, Qatar and Pakistan ended after 80 minutes around 1500 GMT for “internal consultations”, according to Iran’s Fars news agency. Talks are expected to continue throughout the afternoon.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, reacts next to U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff, second from right, and Jared Kushner, right, while waiting to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Buergenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. [Nathan Howard/Pool via AP]

Meanwhile, on Truth Social, Trump threatened Iran against Hezbollah.

“Iran must immediately stop its highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing unrest,” he posted. “If they don’t do this, we will hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder.”

Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded on X that “we are not counting on American threats.”

“Don’t they think that if their threats had had any effect, they would not have reached the point of despair they find themselves in today?” he said.

Tensions around Lebanon

The talks took place as ongoing hostilities in Lebanon have strained the deal.

Israel continued its attacks throughout Saturday, killing dozens of people, with Iran’s IRGC citing the strikes in declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed.

Mohammad Mokhber, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, accused the United States of failing to implement the first clause of its 14-point interim agreement with Iran, which stipulates a ceasefire “on all fronts,” including in Lebanon.

He said if the agreement was not implemented, the flow of energy through the region would remain disrupted.

The U.S. military said commercial vessels continued to operate in the waterway, with 55 merchant vessels transiting the strait on Saturday loaded with more than 17 million barrels of oil.

Although Trump said no tolls would be charged for passing through the strait during or after the 60-day ceasefire, Tehran will seek to change some of the rules governing the Strait of Hormuz “within the framework of legal and international mechanisms”, an adviser and aide to the supreme leader told the Fars news agency.

Despite the growing tensions, “the goals of the United States and Iran are somewhat on the same page” regarding Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane reported from Washington, DC.

Trump has had “very fiery calls” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days, while Vance also warned that Israel should not antagonize “its only friend in the world,” she said.

“Israel therefore finds itself in a position where it will have to decide: does it want to irritate the American side or does it want to stop hostilities?

Israeli Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir said the ceasefire was “fragile” during a visit to southern Lebanon on Sunday.

“We continue to fight,” Zamir said, adding that troops “must be prepared with a high level of readiness to resume combat activities.”

Iran-aligned Hezbollah has also announced attacks against Israeli forces. The group also condemned the upcoming talks between Lebanon and the United States in Washington, saying that Beirut would be forced to “confiscate Lebanon’s sovereignty.”

At least six Israeli soldiers have been killed and 20 others injured in recent days in Hezbollah attacks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 4,106 people and injured 12,153 others since March 2, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said on Sunday in its latest report.

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