Negotiations between Iran and the United States in Switzerland on Sunday quickly demonstrated deep tensions over Lebanon and delivered no apparent resolution as the two sides attempted to establish a lasting peace agreement.
The latest round of talks, mediated by Pakistani and Qatari officials, lasted for 80 minutes on Sunday at a Swiss lakeside resort and largely focused on Lebanon, according to Iranian state media. It was unclear when negotiators would meet again.
The Iranian delegation insisted on an end to the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the militant group Iran backs in Lebanon, as a condition for further talks, Iranian state media reported. The Iranian delegation included Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s lead negotiator in past talks, and Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister.
Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said on Sunday that there had been “great progress over the last couple of days in ensuring that the cease-fire holds in Lebanon.”
But the negotiations took place against a backdrop of threats over the matter, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel insisting on Sunday that his country would continue its occupation of southern Lebanon for “as long as we need to protect our people.” Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, categorically rejected that assertion in a speech, saying the occupation would end and that Hezbollah would respond to any Israeli violation.
President Trump threatened on Sunday to “hit Iran very hard again” if it did not bring the militant group under control. He also threatened in a Fox News interview to do “whatever I want” after the current 60-day cease-fire between the United States and Iran ends, saying that Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, “better watch his mouth.”
Mr. Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, appeared to respond on social media, warning that Iranian armed forces were prepared to respond to threats from the United States.
As Mr. Trump issued his threats, Mr. Vance said that the president wanted the talks to “turn over a new leaf.”
The vice president told reporters before leaving the United States that he would attend peace talks in Switzerland only “for a day or two.” The negotiating team he led included Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The delegation from Pakistan, which has served as an intermediary in the peace effort, included the country’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and its army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Pakistani foreign ministry previously said.
During the last round of talks in Islamabad, both sides failed to reach an agreement after 21 hours of negotiating.
The negotiations on Sunday included discussion about lifting sanctions on Iran’s oil industries, the managing director of Iran’s national oil company, Hamid Bovard, told state media. But the future of Iran’s nuclear program was not discussed, according to state media. Mr. Vance had told reporters before departing for Switzerland on Saturday that he hoped negotiators would “make progress on the nuclear issue.”
The talks had been scheduled to start on Friday, but were postponed after Iranian officials refused to attend in protest over the continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Tehran accused the United States of reneging on commitments in the existing agreement, which calls for a cease-fire on all fronts, by failing to rein in Israel’s attacks. Iran’s military went further on Saturday by claiming to have closed the Strait of Hormuz in response. The U.S. military said that marine traffic in the crucial maritime trade route continued to flow and asserted that Iran “does not control” the strait.
Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, had told state media on Saturday, ahead of the talks, that the trip was intended to “follow up on the implementation of the other side’s commitments.” He warned that “negotiations on a final agreement” would begin only when Iran believes the United States is upholding the deal.
Sanam Mahoozi, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.
