US Vice President JD Vance on Monday said his long talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland had laid “a good foundation for a successful final agreement” as they sought to end the war that the US and Israel started in late February.
Vance and U.S. officials say progress has been made on many fronts, including the establishment of “methods” to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway for transporting energy around the world, remains open and counters the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon, in what appears to be a ceasefire.
The vice president left Switzerland as the technical teams were about to negotiate. He stressed that the key to President Donald Trump will be Iran’s actions rather than its words.
“My point is that I trust the actions, and what the president asked us to do is to confirm what they’re doing, we’re a little bit more focused on what they’re saying,” Vance said.
Iran effectively blocked the route after the US and Israel attacked on February 28, sending fuel prices soaring across the region. A temporary ceasefire was supposed to reopen the channel. A number of ships passed through it over the weekend, although the main channel is still being dug up and closed.
Soon after that attack, Hezbollah and Israel also went to war, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at communities in northern Israel and Israel occupying large areas of southern Lebanon. Iran has stressed that addressing the war in Lebanon is an essential part of any deal to end the broader conflict.
Iran noted “significant progress” in ending the fighting in Lebanon and called it the first real test of the talks.
In other developments, the US Treasury issued a 60-day license to lift sanctions on Iranian oil as part of an interim deal. Notably, the license allows Iranian oil to be imported into the US, which has not imported significant amounts of Iranian oil since the 1990s.
Also on Monday, the State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel this week to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain to discuss the latest developments in Iran.
Trump wasn’t in Switzerland but he seemed great about the talks
The mediation effort in Switzerland started on Sunday and lasted until early Monday.
“We haven’t built a house yet, but we have laid a successful foundation to get to a better place for the American people,” Vance told reporters after initial talks with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.
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Trump did not attend the so-called “Lake Lucerne Summit,” but his presence was evident. The talks were rocked by statements from Trump, who, thousands of miles away, fired back at comments that angered the Iranian people.
Iranian media said the talks had stalled after “the publication of an insulting message by the US President.” Negotiations later continued.
Vance floats unfreeze of Iranian goods to buy US goods
The vice president suggested that the US would be willing to release Iranian assets to buy US soybeans, corn and wheat. He said Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and one of the top negotiators in the US, came up with the idea with Qatari officials.
Vance said Qatar will be allowed through the process, and Iranian money that will be available as sanctions are lifted will buy American products “for the benefit of the Iranian people.”
Iran, which is determined not to freeze billions of dollars in assets, has not commented on the idea. Assets have been frozen amid years of sanctions, banking restrictions and legal disputes imposed by the US and the international community.
The high-level talks are over but the technical talks are still going on
In a joint statement, mediators Pakistan and Qatar praised what they called “encouraging progress.”
The interim ceasefire agreement in Iran, signed last week by US and Iranian leaders, sets a 60-day deadline for talks on key issues, including the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that Iran wants to use it for military purposes, a claim the country denies.
Vance said the technical talks, which were to continue this week, were critical. US delegates Kushner and Steve Witkoff handled most of the technical details.
Many ships pass through the road
Meanwhile, many ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz. According to data and analytics company Kpler, there were 71 confirmed departures over the weekend, with a peak of 35 crossings on Saturday. Before the war, 100 to 130 ships passed through this problem each day.
Ships have been avoiding the middle route to get away from the mines, preferring to use the smaller northern route, which runs through Iranian waters, and the southern route, which runs through Omani waters. In markets, US oil prices fell more than 2% in Monday afternoon trading to $74.66 a barrel.
Trump, over the weekend, made it clear that he was offended by Iran’s public comments on the crisis, which he said Iran’s military closed on Saturday in response to ongoing fighting in Lebanon. The US Central Command denied that Iran had shut down again.
Before these talks, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that he would “not withdraw the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media.
Trump on Sunday told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should watch what he says and threaten to take over Iran, according to one of the station’s reporters.
Trump also posted on social media as negotiators worked: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we will hit Iran again, like we did last week, harder!!!
Iranians agree that there is progress on their high profile issue
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in X that the mediators have brought “great progress to end the Lebanon War.” But he said the first “real test” of the talks will be whether the approach succeeds in ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah signed the US-Iran deal.
But as of Monday evening in the Middle East, an agreement between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be continuing.
“We haven’t found approaches from either side since yesterday,” said Tilak Pokharel, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL.
Airspace violations and Israeli military movements continued, Pokharel said.
Hezbollah has not announced any attacks on Israeli forces since Saturday.
The lull in fighting in Lebanon is the longest since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2.
Kim and Boak reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Abby Sewell in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok, Fatima Hussein in Washington, Mae Anderson in New York, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this story.
