US and Iran open talks in Switzerland after two-day delay

Initial meetings between American and Iranian representatives have begun at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, after a two-day delay linked to the escalation in Lebanon. The talks are aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war, and the first formal session is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Israel time, 1:30 p.m. local time.

According to the reports, bilateral and trilateral meetings are taking place for now. The American delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance, while Iran is represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

There are conflicting accounts of what will top the agenda in the first formal round. Hezbollah-linked media in Lebanon said the first issue will be the implementation of the first clause related to ending the war, especially in Lebanon. An informed source told i24News that Washington’s first demand will be to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, starting with allowing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit Iranian nuclear sites and assess the updated situation.

The negotiations were originally supposed to begin last Friday, one day after a memorandum of understanding was signed between Washington and Tehran. At the last minute, the Iranian delegation suspended its planned trip to Switzerland in protest over continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then canceled his own planned trip, and the opening meeting did not take place. Tehran has since warned the United States and the mediating countries that the Lebanese front is a central and critical factor in whether the talks continue or are stopped altogether. Iranian officials say the Israeli strikes violate the first clause of the agreement signed with the US.