Vance arrives in Switzerland: Direct US-Iran negotiations begin

The Iranian delegation, including Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, had already arrived in Switzerland on Saturday evening, according to Iranian state radio. Also seated at the negotiating table are representatives of the mediating states Pakistan and Qatar. Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Marshal Syed Asim Munir are also on Swiss soil, according to Pakistani sources. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also reportedly present, according to media reports.

The central topic of the talks is the Iranian nuclear programme. As the facts make clear, US President Donald Trump wants to ensure that Iran never obtains nuclear weapons. The Iranian leadership has repeatedly assured in the past that it is not seeking nuclear weapons. According to Axios reports, Washington hopes as a next step that Tehran will invite UN inspectors to verify the nuclear facilities previously bombed by Israel and the US; the last unconstrained visit took place in June 2025.

The framework agreement and its key points

On Wednesday, both sides had signed a framework agreement that sets a deadline of 60 days for a final peace agreement. According to the available information, it also explicitly regulates the end of all fighting, including mutual attacks in Lebanon. The agreement also refers to guaranteeing Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Israeli military presence, however, is not explicitly mentioned in the text.

The fact that the negotiations can take place at all is remarkable: the US and Iran, together with Israel, had launched the war on Iran at the end of February. Almost four months after the start of the war, Trump, who had promised a quick success, has so far been unable to present a lasting solution. Most Americans are sceptical of the war, and Trump's approval ratings have suffered considerably since the war began. Congressional elections are due in the US in November.

In return for the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the US side had lifted its blockade of Iranian ports, according to the available information. During the 60-day negotiations, Iran is also not allowed to charge fees for transit through the strait, as it had previously threatened. According to the Wall Street Journal, Washington is also trying to secure Iran access to a total of 100 billion dollars in frozen funds for humanitarian purposes. As a first step, the US is negotiating with Qatar, which holds six billion dollars in Iranian funds; humanitarian goods such as food and medicines are to be ordered through the Central Bank of Iran and paid for from the frozen funds.

Strait of Hormuz: Instrument of power in the background

The day before the start of negotiations, the Iranian military had once again declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. The US military contradicted this account and reaffirmed that shipping traffic in the strait was continuing. According to US Central Command (Centcom), 55 vessels with 17 million barrels of oil transited the strait on Saturday. Centcom also stated that US forces would remain on site to ensure freedom of navigation and enforce all provisions of the framework agreement.

The strait is barely more than 50 kilometres wide. Normally, around one-fifth of global oil trade passes through the strait. Due to the war on Iran, shipping had largely come to a standstill for extended periods, driving up oil prices. Even threats or isolated attacks, for example with fast boats, can significantly disrupt shipping. On the eve of the talks, Trump had threatened on Truth Social to levy a toll in the strait if no final peace agreement was reached, writing that the US could charge for its services as the region's "guardian angel."

Lebanon is, in the assessment of political scientist Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute, a "red line" for Iran. Parsi told CNN that Iran would not accept another ceasefire like the one in Gaza, which is full of holes like "Swiss cheese" and in which Israel simply continues to act at will. Iran is brandishing the Hormuz weapon just before the next round of negotiations to signal that the demand for an end to Israeli attacks is meant absolutely seriously. Parsi also does not believe that Iran will fully close the strait as previously threatened.

Lebanon as a red line

Parallel to the negotiations, fighting continues in Lebanon. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah had been agreed on Friday afternoon but was shattered over the weekend by numerous Israeli airstrikes killing more than 30 people, according to sources in Beirut. Lebanese media reported a total of more than 40 people killed in Lebanon on Saturday and Sunday, as well as four Israeli soldiers killed. An Israeli army spokesman told AFP that Israel was "not carrying out offensive attacks, but is acting exclusively defensively within the security zone." The Israeli army stated on Saturday that it had received updated ceasefire instructions and would continue to operate defensively in the security zone in southern Lebanon.

The Iranian leadership has made Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon a condition for a permanent end to the war. Israel, in turn, is pursuing the goal of permanently securing its northern towns, which are repeatedly attacked by Hezbollah with rockets and drones. Israel therefore wants to keep its troops in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is sufficiently weakened and the Lebanese army can take over control. Hezbollah is considered Iran's most important political and military partner in the region.

The Hezbollah militia and the Israeli armed forces continued their mutual attacks only a few days after a ceasefire announced by the US. The Lebanese government has repeatedly pledged to disarm Hezbollah and push it back from southern Lebanon, but has so far been unable to implement these steps. The talks are taking place regardless of the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as new tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

Domestic pressure in the US and tensions with Israel

Vance expressed cautious optimism. "I think we will hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue and also move forward on the question of a ceasefire in Lebanon," he said before his departure. He also stated that he would only stay in Switzerland for one or two days. The talks had originally been scheduled for Friday but were postponed at short notice because of mutual attacks by the Israeli army and Hezbollah, after Iran had initially cancelled its delegation's participation. These are the first direct talks between the two countries since a summit in Islamabad in April.

A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Bagahei, said the delegation was to monitor and enforce compliance with the other side's obligations under the agreement. Iran demands a cessation of fighting throughout Lebanon, as agreed in the declaration of intent, and is demanding that the US exert pressure on its ally Israel. Vance said in an interview with Fox News: "We are exerting considerable economic pressure on the Iranians, which we would, however, be willing to ease if they do what we expect of them."

Among US Republicans, however, there is criticism of the concessions in the framework agreement, for example with regard to a reconstruction fund or eased sanctions. Israel is not participating in the negotiations in Switzerland and views the US concessions in the declaration of intent critically. According to reports, tensions had repeatedly arisen between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of late. What is to happen to the strait after the 60 days expire is, according to the framework agreement, to be negotiated by Iran with Oman and with the involvement of the coastal states in accordance with international law.

What is at stake now

Overall, the US and Iran are negotiating on two parallel tracks: on the nuclear programme and on the regional security situation with a focus on Lebanon. For Trump, who promised a quick success in the Iran war, the 60-day window is crucial in order to present a lasting agreement – otherwise he faces further strain, both domestically and in the relationship with Israel.