U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday.
Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again a day earlier. Iran warned vessels to stay away from the critical shipping route for global oil supplies. The U.S. military said the waterway remained open. “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told reporters. “Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.” Iran’s joint military command said the closure was in response to continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon and what it described as U.S. “bad faith,” according to the filing. The strait would not reopen until a ceasefire in Lebanon was respected and waivers allowing Iranian oil sales were issued, a source close to the negotiating team told the outlet.
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Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, journalists on the scene reported, citing Lebanese authorities. Seven people remained trapped beneath rubble in Nabatiyeh and nearby villages, Lebanon’s state-run agency said.
A new threat and a deadline
President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. could begin charging ships to transit the Strait if the parties failed to convert the interim agreement into a final deal. “There will be NO TOLLS in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period,” he wrote on Truth Social late Saturday, adding that charges would be imposed “by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed.” The signed memorandum of understanding between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had called for an immediate end to military actions by Israel in Lebanon and the full reopening of the strait without tolls imposed by Iran. That agreement came after nearly four months of war.
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Vance told reporters before boarding his flight that he hoped to “make progress on the nuclear issue” and “the Lebanon ceasefire issue.” He struck an optimistic tone despite Iran’s latest threat, saying tanker traffic had rebounded sharply after the ceasefire. “We actually got 16 million barrels of oil out of the Strait of Hormuz yesterday,” Vance said. “That is a record going back to even before the conflict started.” He also said negotiators were focused on securing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile to make it “effectively impossible” for Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program, while emphasizing that the United States retained significant economic leverage if Iran failed to comply.
Nuclear agenda and diplomatic stakes
Iran’s nuclear weapons program is likely to be on the agenda in Switzerland, along with the Lebanon ceasefire. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, said on X that he met with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis at the talks “to take stock of recent developments regarding Iran.” “At this critical moment, it’s important to give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed,” Grossi said.
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In an interview, Vance said Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff were working through the agreement’s technical details and that discussions were “going well.” The vice president also noted that despite the headlines, conditions in Lebanon were “actually getting better there.” “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,” he said.
The Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland on Saturday. A spokesperson for Vance said he and the Second Lady landed at Emmen Air Base. The vice president left late Saturday to resume negotiations with the Iran delegation and mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.
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