US Vice-President JD Vance [Source: BBC News]
Direct talks between the US and Iran are set to begin in Switzerland despite the Iranian military saying it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon.
The US military has disputed the claim, saying “traffic continues to flow”. Iran said the Strait was closed in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon that were a breach of Tehran’s agreement with the US to end the war.
Late on Saturday, US Vice-President JD Vance departed Washington for the talks in Switzerland.
An Iranian delegation, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has already arrived.
The new round of negotiations is due to start on Sunday. Vance said he hoped to make progress “on the nuclear issue” and on the “Lebanon ceasefire issue”.
Speaking to the press before he boarded his flight, he was asked about clashes between Israel and Hezbollah and Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon and said: “Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit.”
“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That’s fundamentally the goal of this, to make the whole region safe and secure,” he said.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said his country would be “demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments”.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the start of the talks, his office told the BBC. Pakistan has acted as a mediator throughout the war, and hosted a previous round of negotiations between the US and Iran.
Earlier this week the US and Iranian presidents signed an initial agreement aiming to end the war, including in Lebanon, with immediate effect. It includes a commitment to further talks to reach a final deal over the next 60 days.
