Mideast Live Updates: New Round of U.S.

The United States and Iran were expected to start a new round of talks in Switzerland on Sunday, even as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon threatened efforts to reach a broader peace and keep shipping flowing in the Strait of Hormuz.

Vice President JD Vance flew to Switzerland overnight to lead an American negotiating team that includes President Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. An Iranian team that includes Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, its lead negotiator in earlier talks and the speaker of its parliament, has already arrived, the Iranian state news media reported.

Before Mr. Vance boarded his plane, he told reporters that he would stay in Switzerland for a day or two, and that he hoped to make progress on the “nuclear issue” and the “Lebanon cease-fire issue.” His departure had been delayed from Thursday nigh t, raising uncertainty the talks.

Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry and a member of its delegation told state media on Saturday that the trip was intended to “follow up on the implementation of the other side’s commitments.” He warned that negotiations on a final agreement would begin only when Iran believes the United States is upholding its end of the deal.

An initial agreement signed last week established a 60-day cease-fire during which the United States promised to end its blockade of Iranian ports and Iran promised to let shipping flow freely though the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for transporting oil and gas. The agreement also temporarily lifted American sanctions on Iranian oil exports and promised to make frozen Iranian assets available immediately.

But the most difficult issue — what to do Iran’s nuclear program and stockpile of uranium — has been left for the round of talks. So far, Iran has only reiterated its longstanding promise not to develop nuclear weapons, and promised at a minimum to dilute its stockpile of near-bomb grade uranium as part of a final deal.

Fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia, also poses a major hurdle to negotiations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has indicated that he is not bound by the agreement, drawing rebukes from the White House. Like Israel, Hezbollah was never a party to the talks.

On Friday, Israel and Hezbollah reached a new cease-fire, diplomats and officials said. But a day later, Israel pounded towns and villages across southern Lebanon, killing at least seven people and wounding more than a dozen people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

On Saturday, Iran claimed it was closing the Strait of Hormuz over the continued fighting in Lebanon. The U.S. military said that marine traffic there continued to flow and asserted that Iran “does not control” the strait.

Here’s what else we are covering:

Pakistani delegation: Pakistan, an intermediary in U.S.-Iran negotiations, said it had sent a team to Switzerland that includes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the country’s foreign ministry. It added that a Qatari delegation would also join the talks.

Lebanon strikes: The Israeli military said it attacked southern Lebanon on Saturday after Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles overnight at Israeli troops there. Hezbollah maintained it was adhering to the cease-fire, but acknowledged its fighters had ambushed Israeli infantry attempting to advance overnight on a strategic ridge 45 miles south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

The Pakistani delegation has arrived in Switzerland, the Swiss foreign ministry said on social media. Pakistan, an intermediary in the U.S.-Iran negotiations, said earlier that its delegation included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The Swiss Air Force base where Vice President JD Vance landed early Sunday is roughly a half-hour drive from the mountain resort near Lake Lucerne where the phase of peace talks is expected to begin later today. The Iranian negotiators will have a longer drive. Iranian state media reported that they landed at Zurich International Airport, Switzerland’s largest city. That is an hour by car from the resort.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, arrived at Emmen Air Base in Switzerland shortly before 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, ahead of peace talks with Iranian officials that are expected to begin later today. Before departing from the United States, Mr. Vance told reporters that he would only attend negotiations for a day or two, and that he hoped progress would be made on Iran’s nuclear program and the cease-fire in Lebanon.

A delegation from Pakistan, an intermediary in U.S.-Iran negotiations, has left for Switzerland to attend the round of peace talks, the county’s foreign ministry said early Sunday. The delegation includes Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the ministry said in a statement. It added that a Qatari delegation would also join the talks.

The Iranian negotiating team has arrived in Zurich, according to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, with peace talks expected to begin with U.S. officials on Sunday.

The Iranian delegation is led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, according to state media. The team also includes Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister; Ali Bagheri, the deputy secretary of the national security council; and Esmail Baghaei, the foreign ministry’s spokesman.

Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland early Sunday ahead of talks to flesh out the preliminary deal to end the war in Iran that were expected to begin later in the day.

An Iranian negotiating team arrived hours earlier. The delegation included Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s lead negotiator in past talks and the speaker of Iran’s parliament, and Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister.

Mr. Vance told reporters before leaving the United States that he would only attend peace talks in Switzerland “for a day or two.” He will lead a negotiating team that includes President Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who Mr. Vance told Fox News were already in Switzerland.

Pakistan, which has served as an intermediary in the peace effort, said on Saturday that “technical talks” would begin on Sunday and include Pakistani and Qatari mediators. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that its delegation would include the country’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and its army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.

The discussions come at a delicate time. The conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, threatens efforts to reach a broader peace and keep shipping flowing in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S.-Iranian talks were scheduled to start on Friday, but they were postponed after continued clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Tehran said the Israeli strikes violated the agreement. Iran’s military went further on Saturday by claiming to have closed the Strait of Hormuz in response. The U.S. military said that marine traffic there continued to flow and asserted that Iran “does not control” the strait.

There are many other thorny questions that could be discussed during negotiations. President Trump’s interim agreement with Iran punted the future of Iran’s nuclear program to future talks, did not address Iran’s missile program and failed to resolve whether the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial maritime trade route off southern Iran, would remain open for free passage.

Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, told state media on Saturday that the trip was intended to “follow up on the implementation of the other side’s commitments.” He warned that “negotiations on a final agreement” would begin only when Iran believes the United States is upholding the deal.

Tehran has accused the United States of reneging on commitments in the agreement by failing to rein in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which exchanged fire again on Saturday despite the announcement of a cease-fire in Lebanon on Friday. The U.S.-Iranian agreement calls for a cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon, but neither Israel nor Hezbollah have signed onto the pact.

Mr. Vance told reporters before departing on Saturday that he hoped negotiators would “make progress on the nuclear issue” and the “Lebanon cease-fire issue,” adding that he was “sure the Iranians are going to have issues they’d like to as well.”

Sanam Mahoozi , Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Yan Zhuang contributed reporting.

Vice President JD Vance told reporters that the situation between Israel and Lebanon was “getting better and things are slowing down a little bit.”

“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that you know Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure,” Vance said at Joint Base Andrews before departing for Switzerland.

Vice President JD Vance said he was on his way to Switzerland for peace talks on Iran. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews before boarding an airplane to Europe, Vance said Iranian negotiators had already landed in Switzerland and the talks would take place near Lucerne. “I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon cease-fire issue,” he said. “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 as well.” The resumption of talks appears to be taking place even as Iran has said it is closing the Strait of Hormuz because of the continued fighting in Lebanon.

In a social media post the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump did not address the Iranian military’s claim that it had closed the waterway, but said there “will be NO TOLLS” for ships’ passage during the 60-day cease-fire period negotiated in the preliminary agreement between Tehran and Washington. Throwing another potential wrench in peace negotiations, he added that there would be no tolls after that 60-day period, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America.”

The initial agreement says Iran won’t charge vessels crossing the waterway for “60 days only,” and that Iran, Oman and other Gulf nations will a plan to manage the strait after that. Iranian officials have indicated they intend to charge fees for unspecified services for ships’ transit.