The first round of talks on implementing the U.S.-Iran agreement opened today at the Burgenstock resort
By Bernard Moerdler,
The first round of talks on implementing the U.S.-Iran agreement opened today at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland, after an earlier postponement. Iran's delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, arrived in the country on Saturday and entered the talks, where Vice President JD Vance is attending for the United States alongside envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. IAEA director Rafael Grossi is also in Switzerland for technical discussions on the nuclear file.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has dominated the agenda, with an emergency session on Lebanon added to the first day. An Iranian official told CNN that ending the war in Lebanon is the most important item on the table, and that Tehran does not consider the formal negotiations on the agreement to have begun, because its first clause, an end to the fighting in Lebanon, has not been fulfilled. Iran is demanding an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, while Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will remain in a security zone there for as long as Israel's security requires. Israel and Hezbollah are not parties to the agreement.
The talks are proceeding under visible strain, set against Iran's announcement a day earlier that it would close the Strait of Hormuz to shipping over what it called the United States' failure to implement the ceasefire. The U.S. military rejected the Iranian claim to control the strait, and President Trump threatened to impose American tolls on the waterway if no final deal is reached. Vance said the priorities were the nuclear issue and the Lebanon ceasefire, describing the situation as one the parties will, in his words, have to continuously manage. As of now the delegation remains at the resort.
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon & Hezbollah
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.