Washington DC: US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance departed for Switzerland on Saturday (local time) to participate in technical-level talks with Iran following the signing of a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending hostilities in West Asia and advancing discussions on nuclear and regional security issues.
The Vice President is scheduled to take part in discussions near Lucerne. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Vance said the Iranian delegation had already arrived in Switzerland and that talks could continue for “a couple of days.”
“I can only be there for a day or two. I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue and make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re to be focused on. I’m sure the Iranians are going to have issues they’d like to discuss as well,” Vance said.
Addressing the situation in Lebanon, Vance said conditions were showing signs of improvement despite continued concerns over Israeli strikes and regional tensions.
“Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit. Marco and the entire team have been actively managing what’s going on in Lebanon. Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit,” he said.
Vance added that the broader goal of the discussions is to prevent further escalation and ensure regional stability.
“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That’s fundamentally the goal of this, to make the whole region safe and secure. The big problem is that you have somebody who will shoot and then somebody who will respond, and you kind of have a chicken-and-egg problem where you’ve just got to stop the shooting for long enough to get the ceasefire to keep hold; that’s what we’re going to try to do,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker and Chief Negotiator MB Ghalibaf, arrived in Zurich for the first round of technical talks with the United States as part of the 14-point MoU, according to Iranian state media Press TV.
The negotiation team has reportedly been named “Minab 168” in honour of victims of the Minab school incident, an event Iranian officials have frequently referenced during international diplomatic engagements.
US President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian virtually signed the MoU on Wednesday. The agreement aims to end hostilities between the two countries, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and launch broader negotiations, including talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are already in Switzerland, where the first round of talks on a potential nuclear agreement is expected to begin on Sunday, according to Axios.
The Iranian delegation departed Tehran shortly after Iran’s armed forces announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing alleged violations of the Lebanon ceasefire by Israel, which Iran described as an integral part of the MoU.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, also arrived in Switzerland on Friday. Qatar is considered one of the key mediators facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran.
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