Vance and Sharif arrive in Switzerland to begin talks with Iranian officials on Tehran’s nuclear program | 5 points | Today’s news

US Vice President JD Vance and senior Iranian officials arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to officially begin talks aimed at addressing Tehran’s nuclear program and pushing through a fragile interim deal designed to end the conflict in Iran, the AP reported.

The preliminary framework, signed last week, set the stage for an intense 60-day effort in which top negotiators from both countries will work to finalize the technical aspects of a deal with far-reaching implications for global security and the international economy.

However, the agreement already faces significant challenges. Just a few days after its signing, renewed clashes broke out in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Tensions rose further when Iran’s military announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical sea route through which about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas supplies pass.

The U.S. Central Command disputed Iran’s claim that it had closed the strait again and said U.S. forces continued to monitor the situation to ensure traffic continued to flow through the waterway. Vance said millions of barrels of oil have moved through the strait in recent days.

Vance left the US just after Iranian state television reported that Iranian negotiators had arrived in Switzerland. Tehran’s negotiators include Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with central bank and oil sector officials, the AP reported.

Here’s everything you need to know

1. The US vice president joined special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who were already on the ground to begin discussing the technical details of the nuclear talks.
2. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir will also attend the US-Iran talks, as well as Qatari mediators. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Sharif would also meet separately with each delegation from Iran, Switzerland and the US “to reaffirm Pakistan’s continued commitment to dialogue and lasting peace in the region”.
3. Vice President Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, landed at Emmen Air Force Base near Lucerne shortly before 6 a.m. local time, according to his office. Although Vance has indicated that his stay in Switzerland is likely to last only a day or two, with Witkoff and Kushner handling most of the substantive negotiations, his participation in the talks has drawn increased attention.
4. President Trump and Vice President Vance have faced intense criticism from some members of their own Republican Party over the deal. Conservative hardliners have compared the deal unfavorably to the nuclear deal negotiated during the Obama administration, which Trump and many Republicans have long argued failed to permanently halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Critics within the Republican Party say the new deal risks repeating what they see as the flaws of the previous deal.
5. US Vice President Vance was originally scheduled to arrive in the picturesque resort town of Bürgenstock overlooking Lake Lucerne on Friday. But his departure was delayed after violence in Lebanon escalated and Iranian officials pulled out of planned talks. By Sunday morning, delegations from the United States and Iran, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, had arrived at the mountain resort near Lucerne. According to Swiss authorities, negotiations were expected to begin shortly thereafter.

The deal signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian immediately allows Tehran to sell its oil freely and paves the way for Iran to tap billions of dollars in assets currently frozen. It also calls on Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites targeted by US strikes last summer.

Read also | US-Iran deal news LIVE: Vance, Sharif arrive in Switzerland for talks

The agreement says commercial vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days free of charge, but does not rule out future charges imposed by Iran. On Saturday, Trump himself threatened to levy US tolls in the strait if a deal was not reached with Iran within 60 days, insisting in a social media post that the money would be for “services provided as a guardian angel to the countries of the Middle East”.

Fragile global markets

The Trump administration has sought to calm concerns in global financial markets by portraying the conflict with Iran as a temporary disruption to oil prices. The effort comes as many Americans have expressed frustration over rising gasoline prices during the busy summer travel season, which they attribute to the war.

Oil futures fell nearly 8% after the White House announced the deal last week, signaling increased confidence among investors. Market participants are expected to closely monitor developments when trading resumes on Sunday evening.

Read also | Iran war costs rise: US burden of $132 billion amid global economic shock

The US-Iran deal was further complicated by the absence of Israel and Hezbollah from the agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep Israeli forces stationed in southern Lebanon until any security threats to Israel are fully neutralized. Hezbollah, on the other hand, insisted that it would continue its operations unless Israel committed to a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

The ongoing tensions quickly turned deadly after the US-Iran deal was reached. In the first days after the agreement, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah claimed the lives of 47 people in Lebanon and four members of the Israeli army.

The Strait of Hormuz is again a challenge

The strait became a major point of concern when Iran’s joint military command announced on Saturday that it had closed the waterway again, citing what it called a breach of its US commitments by failing to end the conflict. The interim deal was supposed to halt hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue to fight the Hezbollah militant group, the AP reported.

The United States has rejected Iran’s claims, with US Central Command saying that maritime traffic remains unbroken. Fifty-five commercial vessels carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil passed through the strait on Saturday, according to the command.

Read also | Iran war costs rise: US burden of $132 billion amid global economic shock

Shipping activity resumed after an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran was signed last week. As part of the deal, the US ended the blockade of Iranian ports and allowed Iran to resume unlimited oil exports. These concessions led some members of Congress to question whether the war had achieved its intended goals.

The interim agreement signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear deal, but that time could be extended.