US Vice President JD Vance said in Switzerland that talks between Washington and Tehran made what he called “a very good day” of progress on three core issues: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, creating a coordination mechanism in Lebanon, and restoring IAEA nuclear oversight in Iran. He described the developments as “great progress” and said the sides had found a way forward on each track.
According to Vance, the parties identified a mechanism to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. They also sought to establish a coordination channel in Lebanon so the sides could communicate directly and stop fire in real time. Washington is trying to tie the maritime crisis, the Lebanese arena and the nuclear negotiations into a single political framework.
Vance said the Iranians agreed to accept International Atomic Energy Agency inspections at their nuclear facilities, calling that “the first step toward ending Iran’s nuclear program.” At the same time, he stressed that the process is only beginning and quoted himself saying, “We built very good foundations, we still have not built the house.”
He said the technical teams would remain in Switzerland to continue working while he returned to the United States. Vance added that a lot of work still remains on both the nuclear issue and economic matters. He confirmed that the Iranians had threatened to leave the talks, but said they did not actually walk away and their technical teams stayed on site. Foreign reports said the Swiss talks aimed to turn the memorandum of understanding into a more detailed framework covering Hormuz, the Lebanon mechanism, sanctions and oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.
