US and Iran Conclude First Round of Peace Talks in Switzerland Amid Tensions Over Lebanon and Hormuz

United States and Iranian delegations concluded their first round of face-to-face negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, early Monday morning, with mediators Qatar and Pakistan citing "encouraging progress" toward ending the four-month war. The 18-hour session aimed to implement the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed last week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which established a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent peace. The talks brought together a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, alongside presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and an Iranian team headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.[1][4][6]

The high-stakes summit got off to a volatile start after Trump issued a series of aggressive threats from Washington. In social media posts and television interviews, the US president warned he would strike Iran again if it did not immediately stop its "highly paid proxies" in Lebanon from attacking Israel. Trump also threatened to impose US tolls on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz if a final deal is not reached, claiming the fees would serve as payment for American "services rendered as the Guardian Angel" of the Middle East.[1][2][4][5]

The rhetoric infuriated the Iranian delegation, who briefly walked out of the negotiating room in protest, arguing that the threats violated the non-aggression pact enshrined in the interim agreement. Ghalibaf publicly warned the United States to be careful with its statements, declaring that Iran's armed forces were prepared to respond to any further aggression. Despite the friction, Vance attempted to set a conciliatory tone, asking the Iranian envoys if the two nations could "turn over a new leaf" and permanently change relations in the Middle East. The delegations eventually returned to the table in a quadrilateral format alongside Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.[2][3][4][5]

A primary flashpoint in the discussions was the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Tehran would not enter negotiations on a final nuclear agreement until the US forced Israel to halt its military operations, citing the memorandum's requirement for a ceasefire on all fronts. Israel, which was not a party to the US-Iran agreement, has continued its strikes in Lebanon, arguing that it must defend its northern border from Hezbollah projectiles. To address the crisis, negotiators reportedly agreed to establish a "deconfliction cell" involving the US, Iran, and the Lebanese government, facilitated by Qatar and Pakistan, to monitor the fragile truce.[3][5][6][7][8]

The status of the Strait of Hormuz also dominated the agenda. On Saturday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the vital energy chokepoint closed in retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon. However, US Central Command disputed the claim, reporting that commercial shipping continued uninterrupted, with 55 vessels carrying over 17 million barrels of oil safely transiting the strait under American monitoring. Negotiators spent hours clarifying Iran's intentions for the waterway and discussing mechanisms to ensure it remains open to global trade.[1][2][3][5]

On the economic front, Iran pushed aggressively for the immediate implementation of sanctions relief and the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets held in overseas bank accounts. Following the talks, Araghchi claimed that Tehran had already secured significant economic benefits, including temporary US waivers allowing for the export of Iranian oil and petrochemicals. A draft agreement on the sanctions waivers was reportedly reached before the face-to-face meetings concluded, fulfilling a key Iranian precondition for opening discussions on its nuclear program.[2][4][6][8]

The interim deal, if fully realized, offers massive financial incentives for Tehran, including the establishment of a $300 billion reconstruction fund. In exchange, the US is demanding strict, verifiable limits on Iran's nuclear program, which Trump cited as a primary justification for launching the war in late February. While the initial talks focused heavily on immediate de-escalation in Lebanon and Hormuz, US diplomats described the discussions on the nuclear issue as "robust."[2][5]

The diplomatic breakthrough leaves Israel in a precarious position. Having fought alongside the US to degrade Iranian military infrastructure over the past four months, the Israeli government now finds itself sidelined as Washington and Tehran negotiate the region's future architecture. While the US-Iran memorandum demands an end to hostilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to maintain forces in southern Lebanon until the threat from Hezbollah is eliminated, setting up a potential collision course with the Trump administration's peace efforts.[4][7]