US Vice President Vance Arrives in Switzerland for Talks with Iran on Peace Deal
Al Jazeera Staff
US Vice President JD Vance has landed in Switzerland for talks with Iranian officials to implement a new 60-day ceasefire deal. The agreement is threatened by ongoing Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan is also participating as a mediator.
US Vice President JD Vance landed at Emmen Air Base in Switzerland at 5:59 a.m. Sunday (03:59 GMT), according to his spokesperson. He will join negotiations with an Iranian delegation that arrived in Switzerland on Saturday evening, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Pakistan, acting as a mediator, has also sent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir to Switzerland for the talks.
The meeting comes just days after the United States and Iran signed a temporary agreement extending the ceasefire for an additional 60 days, while paving the way for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program. One condition of the deal is a halt to hostilities in Lebanon. However, the agreement is under threat after Israel continued airstrikes on Lebanon on Saturday, killing dozens.
In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, warning ships could face danger if they approach the vital global oil shipping route. However, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said 55 commercial vessels transited the strait on Saturday, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil, and that the US would ensure commercial traffic continues.
US President Donald Trump declared that the US would not impose tolls on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz during or after the 60-day ceasefire, unless the US applies fees if peace talks fail. On social media, he hinted at the possibility of the US imposing a tax for "Middle East protection services" if no agreement is reached to end the war.
Mohammad Mokhber, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, accused the US of failing to implement the first article of the 14-point agreement, which calls for a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. He warned that if the agreement is not implemented, energy flows in the region will continue to be blocked.
Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar Atas in Tehran reported that the Iranian delegation in Switzerland will focus on articles 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of the memorandum, including a halt to hostilities in Lebanon, lifting the US maritime blockade, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, releasing Iran's frozen assets, and lifting sanctions on the oil and gas sector. "The Iranians do not expect to conclude everything in one meeting, but they want to see the start of the implementation of the agreement," Atas said.
Fighting in Lebanon continues despite the ceasefire agreement. Israel says it is responding to attacks from Hezbollah, while the group says Israel has repeatedly violated the agreement and will not allow Israel "free movement" in Lebanon. The Israeli military confirmed one soldier was killed in combat, bringing the total death toll to five since the US-Iran agreement took effect. Israel's Channel 12 reported that the Prime Minister and Defense Minister ordered the military to cease fire in Lebanon but not to withdraw from occupied territories.
