U.S.-Iran talks resume in Switzerland under pressure over Lebanon ceasefire

U.S.-Iran negotiations resumed on Sunday in Switzerland, with the opening session focused on a ceasefire clause. The Iranian delegation is demanding a complete halt to the fighting in Lebanon as a condition for implementing the memorandum of understanding with Washington, while U.S. mediation efforts and heavy pressure on Israel continue in the background.

Preliminary meetings began in the morning in Bürgenstock, near Geneva, ahead of the formal talks. According to Iranian media, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Swiss counterpart, and the first main session was expected to convene at about 2:30 p.m. Israel time. Lebanese reports said the opening discussion would deal entirely with the first clause of the agreement signed with the Americans, the ceasefire demand, especially in the Lebanese arena. Iran’s interior minister said the talks had resumed to implement the memorandum of understanding and that the process was moving in the right direction.

At the same time, diplomatic efforts were underway to preserve the arrangement. A political source told the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan that Washington was applying significant pressure on Israel to end its military activity in Lebanon in order to secure the success of the talks with Tehran. The same source said internal pressure was also being placed on Hezbollah to stop its attacks. Iran, according to the report, is trying to tie the broader deal directly to the situation in southern Lebanon and use its influence there as a bargaining chip.

The Swiss talks followed a tense weekend in which Tehran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz after what it called a U.S. failure to fulfill its commitments. Iranian officials said the U.S. had not delivered on its part of forcing Israel to stop operations in Lebanon, and they made a halt to the strikes a condition for continuing the negotiations. The demand led to a temporary postponement of the talks and the cancellation of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s trip to Switzerland. The U.S. military rejected Iran’s claims about the strait, saying commercial traffic continued unhindered, though American forces were monitoring the area to protect freedom of navigation. Iran’s Gulf straits authority nevertheless issued new rules requiring ships to request passage at least 48 hours in advance through official channels.