JD Vance Meets Iranian Officials in Switzerland Amidst Ongoing Conflict

JD Vance (AP)

SWITZERLAND: US Vice President JD Vance met senior Iranian officials on Sunday as the White House sought to build on last week's interim agreement aimed at ending the conflict involving Iran and advancing diplomatic engagement. Vance held discussions with key Iranian negotiators, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, at a resort near Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, AP reported. Despite the diplomatic engagement, the ongoing conflict in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group continues to threaten progress in the talks.

US focused on nuclear negotiations

According to reports, the United States is seeking to secure Iran's commitment to continued negotiations over its nuclear programme as part of broader efforts to ease regional tensions and strengthen the interim agreement. Addressing a live press conference at the ongoing Swiss diplomatic talks, Vance stated that "Trump is committed to seeing a full regional ceasefire.." Highlighting Lebanon's importance in the broader peace effort, Vance said recent progress in maintaining the ceasefire has been a positive development for regional stability. "We've seen great progress over the last couple of days in ensuring the ceasefire in Lebanon holds, he said. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also said that Tehran's primary focus during the negotiations would be the ongoing war between Israel and Lebanon. Calling the talks a major milestone in modern diplomacy, Vance concluded by saying that the negotiations may not eliminate all differences but would enable both sides to work together face-to-face for the first time in history. "The technical negotiations may not solve every disagreement, but they will allow us to sit together as teams for the first time in history," he said.

Iran delegation left venue over Trump's remarks

Iran’s delegation has left the venue of negotiations in Switzerland in protest over recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the act comes after Trump threatened fresh military action against Iran over the activities of Hezbollah in Lebanon and warned Tehran against attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz. These negotiations are operating under Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) finalised on June 17 by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

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