Vance says talks with Iranian officials lay a ‘good foundation’ for a deal to end the war
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Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that the peace talks with Iran formed a “good foundation for a successful final agreement” to end the war that began at the end of February.
“The last deal is the house,” Vance told reporters. “We’ve laid the foundation. We haven’t built a house yet, but we’ve made a successful foundation to get to a better place for the American people.”
Vance’s comments come after he and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Monday ended a long round of talks aimed at cementing a permanent end to the war between the countries.
The vice president also suggested that the US administration could agree to release Iranian goods in exchange for US soybeans, corn and wheat.
The mediation effort in Switzerland, which began on Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday, has had some difficult moments. But these discussions also led to agreements between the two sides.
In a joint statement, negotiators Pakistan and Qatar said that although high-level relations have ended, technical talks will continue in Switzerland this week.
Mediators praised what they called “encouraging progress” made during the negotiations. A US embassy official says progress has been made on many fronts, including the establishment of “methods” to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for transporting energy around the world, remains open and that fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon is halted.
However, the first full day of talks was marred by scathing statements from US President Donald Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss summit in a mountain area near Lake Lucerne has been making comments that have angered Iranians.
Iranian media said the talks had stalled after “the publication of an insulting message by the American president.”
Eventually, the Iranians stayed on site and talks continued, according to a US diplomat, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.
Iranian state television reported on Monday that the Iranian delegation left the conference venue for Zurich airport to fly back to Tehran.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “not withdraw the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media, and Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should watch his words and threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the station’s correspondents.
Trump dismisses warnings on social media
Trump issued warnings against Iran on social media, posting as negotiators worked: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we will hit Iran hard and, just like we did last week, very hard!!!”
Senior US negotiators include Vance, as well as special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. Iran is represented by Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
It’s unclear when Vance will leave Switzerland, though he told Fox News in an interview Saturday that he expects to stay only “a day or two.” Kushner and Witkoff handled most of the technical details on behalf of the American team.
US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with new strikes as Vice President JD Vance and a US delegation met with Iranian officials in Switzerland to push forward an interim peace deal.
In a joint statement, Pakistan and Qatar said that high-level talks have ended and that technical talks will continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week. They said they agreed on a “line of communication” to ensure safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and a way to end the war between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The US offered no immediate comment, while Iran praised the work of the investigators.
Araghchi wrote in X that the Pakistani and Qatari mediators had brought “great progress to end the Lebanon War.” He added that the first “real test” of the talks will be whether the plan succeeds in ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The American official said that among the things discussed was Iran’s message as it relates to the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian military said it was closed on Saturday due to the continuation of the war in Lebanon. The US Central Command denied that Iran had shut down again.
The interim ceasefire agreement in Iran, signed last week by US and Iranian leaders, outlines a 60-day period for negotiators to resolve the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that it wants to use it for military purposes, which Iran denies. The fate of Iran’s frozen assets, among other pressing issues, is at stake.
Although the talks will cover a range of complex issues, Iran wants to focus first on dealing with the war in Lebanon.
Saturday’s renewed ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to remain in place, and the Israeli army said it would lift restrictions on the movement of residents near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday morning. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah signed the US-Iran deal.
There was a cautious calm on Monday in Lebanon, with no Israeli strikes reported overnight after a quiet day on Sunday. Hezbollah has also not announced any attacks on Israeli forces since Saturday.
The lull in fighting in Lebanon is the longest since the latest Israeli-Hezbollah war broke out on March 2.
