U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday, after talks with Iran in Switzerland, that Tehran had agreed to invite back International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors this week, possibly as soon as today. He described the negotiations as a major step forward, saying, "Very good progress in the talks." Vance added that "the Iranians threatened to leave, but they did not leave" and said their technical teams were still present.
Vance outlined what he said were the main achievements from 18 hours of discussions at the Bürgenstock resort. He said the sides wanted a mechanism to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and that it is open now. He pointed to falling fuel and oil prices and said "millions upon millions of barrels" of crude oil and natural gas were flowing through the strait.
He also said the talks focused on creating a deconfliction mechanism within the regional ceasefire framework. Referring to possible fighting involving Hezbollah and Israel, he said the goal was to ensure that if there is firing, the parties will actually speak to each other and work out how to stop it. He noted that Israel was not named explicitly in the official statement because the mediating states, Qatar and Pakistan, do not recognize Israel.
According to the joint statement issued at the end of the talks, the discussions were held in a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and made "encouraging progress." The sides agreed to form a high-level committee to oversee political aspects of the mediation effort, along with dedicated working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions, and dispute tracking and resolution. For Lebanon, they agreed to create a de-escalation working group made up of both sides and the Republic of Lebanon, under mediator guidance, to help ensure compliance with the cessation of hostilities. Technical talks are scheduled to continue through the rest of the week at Bürgenstock.
