US-Iran war highlights: Top-level negotiations come to an end in Switzerland, technical talks to continue

US-Iran war highlights: US Vice President JD Vance speaks next to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani and Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir during a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Buergenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026.

US-Iran war highlights: US and Iranian negotiators met in Switzerland on Sunday for technical-level talks on implementing their interim agreement aimed at ending the Iran war. Pakistani and Qatari mediators were also present for the discussions on resolving the conflict that the US and Israel launched in late February. The US delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance and includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. They are holding talks with Iranian negotiators headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iran held talks with the United States and Qatar on Sunday focused on the conflict in Lebanon and the release of Tehran's frozen assets, Iranian state media reported.

"A tripartite meeting involving Iran, the United States and Qatar on the subjects of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran's blocked assets is currently being held at the negotiation venue," state broadcaster IRIB said in a report.

However, Qatar's foreign ministry has said that Pakistan is also participating in the talks.

Tehran has said separate consultations would be held with the Pakistani side as part of ongoing efforts to implement the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

"A meeting between the Iranian negotiating team and Qatari mediators is currently underway. Separate consultations with the Pakistani side are also scheduled as part of ongoing efforts to advance implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum," the Iranian government said in a post on X.

Vance and Pakistani delegation in Switzerland

US vice president JD Vance and the Pakistani delegation arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to take part in the formal start of talks with Iranian negotiators on Tehran's nuclear programme and strengthening the fragile interim agreement aimed at ending the war in Iran. The Iranian negotiating team is headed by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and also includes foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had also arrived to join the talks at the resort.

The framework agreement was signed last week, and senior negotiators from the US and Iran have now entered a 60-day period to work out the technical aspects of the deal, which carry major consequences for global security and the world economy.

US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland

Negotiators from the United States and Iran reached Switzerland for discussions aimed at finalising key aspects of their interim agreement to halt the war between the two nations.

Ahead of his departure for Europe, Vance told reporters he hoped to "make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we're going to be focused on".

The next round of discussions had originally been scheduled for Friday in Switzerland but was called off at the last moment after Israel carried out deadly attacks in Lebanon following the deaths of four Israeli soldiers during fighting.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the country's delegation would "demand implementation of the other party's commitments" under the agreement.

"Otherwise, the entire understanding will be in trouble," he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Pakistan PM, army chief Munir reach Switzerland

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, also arrived in Switzerland to take part in the technical-level discussions, according to a statement from Sharif's office.

Trump's Hormuz toll warning

While Washington and Tehran had agreed to observe a 60-day ceasefire during the negotiations, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Accusing Israel of committing "crimes" in Lebanon that it said breached US commitments under the ceasefire, the IRGC warned that vessels entering the Strait could face danger. However, US Central Command said 55 commercial ships passed through the Strait on Saturday, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil to international markets.

In a social media post on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said ships would not be required to pay any toll to pass through the Strait during or after the 60-day ceasefire, unless the US decides to introduce one if the peace process collapses.

Trump suggested that the US could impose a toll on vessels using the Strait if negotiations do not result in a peace agreement, describing it as payment "for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East".

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding

The interim agreement reached between the United States and Iran aims to end the conflict will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring the two rivals back to negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. It will also provide Iran with an immediate advantage by allowing it to resume unrestricted oil exports.

Apart from the oil income for Iran, both sides have largely returned to the position they were in three and a half months ago, before Israel and the United States launched the war.

The US and Iran will begin a 60-day round of talks in Switzerland on Saturday, which will be attended by US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.