The meetings took place at the Qatari-operated mountaintop resort of Buergenstock in Switzerland, marking the first discussions to follow a memorandum of understanding established just a week prior.
This agreement stipulates the reopening of the strait and a cessation of all hostilities, including actions in Lebanon, where US ally Israel had launched an invasion in March. However, Iran contended that the US failed to uphold its commitments to stop hostilities in Lebanon, leading to the strait’s renewed shutdown and asserting that substantive topics such as Iran’s nuclear program would be excluded from Sunday’s discussions.
“Iran must immediately cease their well-paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing disturbances. If they fail to do so, we will respond to Iran very forcefully again, just like we did last week, but even more severely!” Trump declared, seemingly referring to Hezbollah, Iran’s allies in Lebanon, and an escalation he had ordered earlier this month.
Fox News reported that Trump elaborated in an interview, claiming he had warned Iranian officials that if the strait remained closed, “you won’t have a country,” indicating intentions to seize control of the waterway.
During the Swiss talks, Vance downplayed the violence in Lebanon, suggesting that progress was being made toward resolving hostilities.
“These situations are often a bit chaotic,” he remarked.
While Trump issued threats against Iran, Vance informed reporters that the US president had “requested us to turn over a new leaf to reshape our relationship with the Iranian people.”
The parties involved did not seek a joint photo opportunity during the discussions. Before Vance spoke, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi briefly entered the room and greeted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, serving as a mediator. Araqchi did not engage with Vance, who remained at the rear of the room.
IRAN CITES LEBANON AS REASON TO CLOSE STRAIT
Despite a new ceasefire in Lebanon being announced on Friday, fighting has shown no signs of abating. Iran stated on Saturday that it had again closed the strait due to ongoing conflicts, which had previously caused the most significant disruption in global energy supplies in history for nearly four months.
While US officials contested the claim that the strait was closed, commercial shipping data revealed an immediate effect.
Following Iran’s announcement, only one small tanker crossed the waterway with its location-signalling transponders activated, in stark contrast to the dozens of vessels that had passed in the days prior, as traffic began to return to pre-conflict levels.
A military source, cited by Iran’s Fars news agency, indicated that no new vessel permits would be issued until further notice. Throughout the conflict, shipping companies have expressed concerns about traversing without Iranian permission.
Iran asserted that no further talks, including issues related to its nuclear program, could commence until the conflict in Lebanon concluded and it received promised economic benefits.
CLOSURE OF STRAIT COULD REVERSE FALL IN OIL PRICE
In a pattern seen during previous significant developments affecting the global economy amid the war, Iran’s announcement of the strait’s closure occurred over the weekend when markets were closed, postponing any immediate impact on oil prices until Monday.
Trump stated he agreed to the memorandum of understanding last week to prevent a global economic downturn due to high oil prices stemming from the strait’s closure. Oil prices had plummeted in recent weeks to levels not seen since the war’s onset.
Before departing, Vance expressed hope for progress regarding the nuclear issue. However, after Sunday’s discussions, Iranian state media reported that the nuclear program had not been addressed.
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei mentioned that, due to Washington’s failure to ensure a ceasefire in Lebanon, the meeting would focus solely on implementing the memorandum and not on the substantive topics intended for the next phase.
QUIETER DAY IN LEBANON
The memorandum anticipates 60 days of discussions regarding issues like curbing Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Before these matters are settled, Iran expects initial economic benefits, including sanctions waivers and the unfreezing of blocked assets.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, quoted by Fars, expressed hope that the US discussions could lay a solid foundation for economic development. He noted that the primary goal of the negotiations was to restore access to some of Iran’s frozen assets.
Sunday seemed to be the calmest day in Lebanon in a while, with no major incidents reported by nighttime, following two days of intense Israeli airstrikes and retaliatory fire from Hezbollah at Israeli positions.
Over a million individuals have been displaced in Lebanon since March due to Israel’s invasion, launched to target Hezbollah fighters who crossed the border in support of Tehran.
In a potentially optimistic development, Reuters reporters in southern Lebanon observed some of the heaviest traffic since the memorandum’s signing, as residents began returning to their homes in the south. Some even stood alongside vehicles lined up on the highway, waving Hezbollah flags.
Lebanese authorities reported 20 fatalities from Israeli airstrikes on Saturday.
The army stated on Sunday that specialized teams continue to dismantle unexploded Israeli bombs weighing between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds that were dropped on southern towns.
