Day 114 | US & Iranian delegations to meet for talks in Switzerland

Vice President JD Vance departed Washington on Saturday for Switzerland, where negotiations with Iran are scheduled to begin on Sunday; while the Swiss Foreign Ministry said an Iranian delegation arrived at the Burgenstock resort in efforts to end the war. 

Speaking to reporters before leaving Joint Base Andrews, Vance said he’s optimistic about making progress on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Regarding the Lebanon front, where clashes between Hezbollah and Israel threaten the preliminary US-Iran agreement, the vice president claimed the situation was improving.

The US vice president is expected to join envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, in Switzerland.

The Iranian delegation landed in Switzerland late Saturday, said Bern.

"We welcome the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Switzerland," the Swiss foreign ministry said on X.

State media said it included parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the delegation would "demand implementation of the other party's commitments" under the deal.

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

Iran said earlier on Saturday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over ‘Israeli’ attacks in Lebanon, jolting the fragile US agreement.

The Revolutionary Guards' naval force warned vessels not to approach the waterway, saying "their security will be jeopardised".

Tehran had agreed to reopen it under the preliminary accord signed this week by President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, and shipping traffic had begun to recover.