Vance lands in Switzerland for talks on Iran peace deal as Strait of Hormuz tensions boil

Vice President JD Vance landed in Switzerland Sunday morning ahead of his high-stakes, formal meetings with Iranian officials to discuss a peace deal with Tehran as tensions continue to boil over the Strait of Hormuz.

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His mission follows a volatile week of interrupted negotiations and a 60-day ultimatum from President Trump, who has threatened to levy tolls on the critical waterway if a deal is not reached.

Vance, accompanied by his wife Usha, joined White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner for the meetings.

The American delegation will meet with the Iranians mediated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari officials. 

“I’m looking forward to starting the technical talks with the Iranians, the Pakistanis, and the Qataris… We’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue — those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused on,” Vance said before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews Saturday, according to video posted by the White House Rapid Response on X.

Vance, who noted he would remain in Switzerland “for a day or two,” expressed optimism regarding progress on both Iran’s nuclear program and a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

This diplomatic push follows a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this week between the US and Iran to halt military operations on all fronts, notably in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been targeting Hezbollah. 

A high-level Iranian delegation arrived in Zurich on Saturday, according to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Emseil Baghaei, who warned that the agreement could be jeopardized if key commitments are not upheld.

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Negotiations had been previously complicated by Iran’s cancellation of Friday’s talks, citing Israeli strikes that killed 16 people overnight from Friday into Saturday in Lebanon — a blow dealt less than 24 hours after a Hezbollah-Israel agreement was announced. 

Vance was initially scheduled to fly to the resort near Lucerne on Friday, but the negotiations were complicated by Iran’s cancellation of the talks, citing Israeli strikes that killed 16 people overnight from Friday into Saturday in Lebanon — a blow dealt less than 24 hours after a Hezbollah-Israel agreement was announced. 

Meanwhile, President Trump has set a 60-day deadline for a deal, warning that if talks fail, the US will levy tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, using proceeds for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East.”

US Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins insisted that “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz” and noted that traffic “continues to flow.” 

The military reported that 55 merchant ships transporting over 17 million barrels of oil passed through the area on Saturday. 

A Hezbollah official stated that Iran would not reopen the strait unless Israel publicly commits to a “comprehensive ceasefire” in Lebanon, promising Hezbollah’s compliance in return.

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With Post wires