US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to formally launch negotiations with Iranian leaders aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear programme and expanding the fragile interim deal to end the war in Iran. The framework was signed last week, and top US and Iranian negotiators are now in a 60-day sprint to finalize technical details with massive implications for the global economy and security.
Talks overshadowed by regional escalation
The first days of the two-month period were complicated by heavy exchanges of fire in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, and by Iran's military announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway transiting a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas. US Central Command disputed Iran's claim, stating that US forces continued to monitor the situation and ensure traffic flows through the strait. Vance noted that millions of barrels of oil have moved through the waterway in recent days.
Vance's delayed arrival and negotiating team
Vance had originally been scheduled to be at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne on Friday, but his departure from the US was delayed after fighting escalated in Lebanon and Iranian officials cancelled plans to attend. He left the US just after Iranian state TV reported that Iran's negotiators had arrived in Switzerland. Tehran's delegation includes parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and central bank and oil officials. The US vice president joins special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, who were already on the ground to begin sifting through technical details. The talks also include Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Qatari mediators.
Political stakes for Vance
Vance said he planned to be in Switzerland for just "a day or two," leaving detailed negotiations to Witkoff and Kushner. His role in the talks has heightened scrutiny at a time when he is actively considering a 2028 presidential campaign.
