Top negotiators from the United States and Iran concluded an extended opening round of talks Monday, part of an effort to lock in a lasting end to the conflict between the two countries.
The Swiss-hosted mediation push began Sunday and was marked by tense stretches, though officials said it also produced several points of agreement.
Qatar and Pakistan, serving as mediators, described the discussions as showing “encouraging progress,” saying Washington and Tehran had agreed to establish a “de-confliction cell” focused on the fighting in Lebanon.
A senior US diplomat said movement had been made on several issues, including plans for “mechanisms” intended to keep the Strait of Hormuz — a critical corridor for global energy shipments — open, and to help maintain a cease-fire in southern Lebanon.
Still, the talks involving US and Iranian negotiators, joined by Qatari and Pakistani officials, were disrupted by sharp remarks from US President Donald Trump, who commented from afar while the delegations met at a mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne, angering the Iranian side.
Iranian state media reported that the talks were paused following the “publication of an insulting message by the US President.” It said the Iranian delegation met with Qatari mediators and then departed the negotiating venue. A senior US diplomat, speaking anonymously to brief reporters on the ongoing discussions, said late Sunday that the Iranian team remained at the site and that negotiations were continuing.
On Monday, Iranian state television said the country’s delegation had left the summit location and was traveling to Zurich airport for a flight back to Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had pledged that Iran would “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media. Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should be careful with his words and also threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the network’s correspondents.
Trump also continued to issue 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’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
The chief negotiators for the US include JD Vance, the vice president; special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the president. Iran is represented by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
It’s unclear when Vance will depart Switzerland, although he told Fox News in an interview Saturday that he anticipates staying only a “day or two.” Kushner and Witkoff are handling much of the technical details on behalf of the U.S. delegation.
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In a joint statement, Pakistan and Qatar said the high-level talks had ended and that technical negotiations would continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week.
The statement said the sides had agreed to establish a “communication line” to ensure safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a mechanism to bring about an end to the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The US offered no immediate comment, while Iran praised the meditators’ work.
Araghchi wrote on X that Pakistani and Qatari mediators delivered “major progress to end the Lebanon War.” He added that the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the mechanism succeeded in halting the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The senior US diplomat said among the issues discussed was Iran’s messaging as it related to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s military said it closed Saturday in response to continued fighting in Lebanon. US Central Command has disputed that Iran closed the strait again.
The interim deal to end the fighting in Iran, signed last week by the leaders of the US and Iran, outlines a 60-day period for negotiators to settle the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that it wants to use it for military purposes, a claim Iran denies.
The fate of frozen Iranian assets, among other thorny issues, are also on the agenda.
Though the talks will encompass a vast array of complex matters, Iran first wants to focus on addressing the fighting in Lebanon.
Saturday’s renewed cease-fire in Lebanon appeared to be holding, and Israel’s military said it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday morning. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the US-Iran deal.
There was cautious calm Monday in Lebanon, with no Israeli strikes reported overnight after a day of quiet Sunday.
Hezbollah likewise has not announced any attacks on Israeli forces since Saturday.
The lull in fighting in Lebanon is the longest since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2.
