Vance leads peace talks in Switzerland with Iran, Qatar, Pakistan

Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation in peace with Iran on Sunday at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, marking the first round of negotiation between the two countries since April.

The talks, which also included representatives from Pakistan and Qatar serving as mediators, are intended to launch a 60-day negotiating process focused on limiting Iran’s nuclear program and reducing tensions. The effort comes after Iran announced Saturday that it would close the Strait of Hormuz, claiming Israel has violated the ceasefire by conducting operations in Lebanon.

Vance was joined by White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The US delegation met Sunday morning with the prime ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, as well as Pakistan’s top military commander. The vice president spoke to reporters before a trilateral meeting with the US, Iran, and mediators. 

“The question before us now is how much can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf? Vance asked. “Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently, or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but it’s certainly very much something that can happen.”

“The President is committed to a regional peace, which is why we’re here working so hard to settle our issues,” Vance added. “What today really represents is the beginning of a technical negotiation that’s not going to solve every disagreement, but it’s going to allow us to sit together as teams for the first time really in history to figure out what matters most to the respective parties, to settle those issues, to solve those issues, and get to a better tomorrow.”

After Vance’s remarks, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” unless the country stops “their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon,” a reference to Hezbollah.