The first round of peace talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland “concluded successfully,” mediators said Monday, after negotiations appeared strained over the Strait of Hormuz and persistent fighting in Lebanon.
“The discussions were held in a positive and constructive atmosphere and yielded encouraging progress, including agreement on a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days, the establishment of a High-Level Committee to provide political oversight, and the commencement of further technical talks,” said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Sharif did not describe the roadmap in any further detail. His statement comes after the first round of U.S.-Iran talks was held on Sunday, which marked the first in-person negotiations since the two sides agreed to a memorandum of understanding extending a tenuous ceasefire for at least 60 days.
The talks, led on the U.S. side by Vice President JD Vance, were immediately tested as Iran said it halted maritime traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz, arguing that Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon violated the ceasefire. President Donald Trump in response issued several stark warnings, saying Iran must rein in Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and suggesting to Fox News he could escalate sharply if Iran closed the strait.
Despite Trump’s warnings, U.S. officials signaled cautious optimism. Vance said progress had been made on reducing fighting in Lebanon and emphasized that Trump had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran,” Reuters reported.
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