Negotiations and Tensions Between U.S., Iran, and Regional Implications

OBBÜRGEN, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about the possibility of “turning the page” with Iran during talks aimed at developing an interim agreement to end the conflict in Iran reached last week. Despite Vance’s encouragement to Tehran to seize the moment, President Donald Trump threatened to resume offensive actions against Iran for supporting the political-paramilitary Hezbollah group in Lebanon or if Iran closes the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran must immediately stop its highly-paid operatives in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump stated on social media, issuing several provocative warnings to Iran on Sunday. “If they don’t, we will hit Iran very hard again, even harder!” Vance and U.S. negotiators met with Iran’s parliamentary president, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a mountain resort near Lake Lucerne. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar were also present for the direct contact, which lasted about 80 minutes according to Iranian state media. Separate private talks occurred between U.S. and Iranian negotiating teams with Pakistani and Qatari officials.

The U.S. seeks to keep Iran engaged in negotiations regarding its nuclear program amid concerns that it could be used for military purposes, which Iran denies. Vance pressed Tehran to commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, a crucial maritime passage through which about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil flows.

Trump’s remarks from afar—he spent much of the weekend at the presidential retreat of Camp David, Maryland—jeopardized the negotiations. “Better be careful with their statements,” Qalibaf posted on X. “Our armed forces are ready to respond differently. They can keep talking, but we act.”

Iranian state media reported that the talks had reached a “difficult phase” and took a break following the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. president.” The Iranian delegation later met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiation site, according to state media. Despite heated exchanges on social media, a source familiar with the talks later told The Associated Press that the Iranian delegation remained committed to the discussions and had not indicated any intention to withdraw. The source requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conversations.

Iran aims to address first the Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The framework was signed last week, with primary U.S. and Iranian negotiators engaged in a 60-day race to agree on technical details, carrying vast implications for the global economy and security. The ongoing intermittent conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, backed by Iran, continues to threaten U.S. efforts to secure Iranian concessions on its nuclear program and keep the strait open.

“What we have before us now is how much more we can achieve together. Can we turn the page?” Vance remarked as the talks, dubbed the “Lucerne Lake Summit,” commenced. “Can we permanently change relations in the Middle East, or do things go back to the old ways, which isn’t our preference but can certainly happen.”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei indicated to state news agency that their team aims to focus on the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Just days after its signing, the agreement faced challenges from an escalation in fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, accompanying Iran’s military announcement that the strait was shut again. A new ceasefire negotiated Saturday in Lebanon appeared to hold.

The agreement signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian permits Tehran to sell its oil freely immediately and paves the way for Iran to access billions of dollars in currently frozen assets. It also requires Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, presumed buried under nuclear facilities that were targeted by U.S. attacks last summer. However, Pezeshkian insists on Iran’s right to enrich uranium. He reiterated this stance Sunday. “What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is compelled to accept it,” the Iranian president stated, according to Iranian state media.

In a phone interview Sunday with Fox News, Trump warned that the Iranian president should be careful with his words, threatening to take control of the rest of the country, as reported by a Fox correspondent.

The postponed meeting resumes Iran approaches negotiations cautiously given previous U.S. negotiations over the nuclear issue, twice interrupted by massive attacks. “Implementing any document is more important than its signing,” Baghaei emphasized Sunday.

Initially, Vance planned to arrive Friday at the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, but his departure from the U.S. was delayed after intensified fighting in Lebanon and the cancellation of Iranian officials’ plans to attend the talks.

The U.S. Central Command questioned Iran’s assertion of having re-closed the strait and noted continued U.S. monitoring to ensure maritime traffic flow. Vance claimed that millions of barrels of oil had traversed the strait recently. The vice president joins special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump, for Sunday’s talks.

Witkoff and Kushner were already in Switzerland before Vance to discuss the nuclear talks’ technical details. Vance expressed a plan to stay in Switzerland “a day or two,” leaving much of the detailed negotiations to Witkoff and Kushner. His role in the talks increased scrutiny on the vice president as he actively considers a presidential candidacy for 2028.

The agreement faces significant controversy. Trump and Vance received criticism from their party over the deal, with hard-line Republicans unfavorably comparing it to a nuclear pact signed by the Obama administration, which Trump and the Republican Party insisted did nothing to end Iran’s nuclear program.

The agreement allows commercial ships free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, not excluding future Iranian-imposed tariffs. Trump launched threats of U.S. tolls on the strait if no agreement is reached with Iran in 60 days, asserting in social media that funds are for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel of Middle Eastern countries.”

The Trump administration reassures global markets that the war in Iran is just a bump affecting oil prices, yet Americans complain of rising gas prices before summer’s peak travel months. Following the White House’s announcement of the agreement a week ago, oil futures dropped nearly 8%—markets are expected to closely monitor talks’ progress as trading begins Sunday night.

To further complicate matters, neither Israel nor Hezbollah signed the U.S.-Iran agreement, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to keep forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah refused to halt attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon.

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Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this dispatch.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative AI tool.