US Vice President JD Vance said he hoped Washington and Tehran could restore their relationship at the start of what he called “historic” talks in Switzerland on Sunday.
However, as the meeting was taking place, US President Donald Trump threatened in an online post that he would strike Iran if it did not “immediately stop their high-paying RIGHTS in Lebanon from causing trouble”.
Vance, flanked by US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, was at the luxury Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne for talks with Tehran negotiators on the tentative US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war.
“This is a historic meeting,” Vance said in the negotiating room, set up with the American team on one side and the Iranian delegation on the other.
“The question before us now is how much more can we achieve together?
“Can we turn over a new leaf, can we change relations in the Middle East forever?
“Or we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but it’s certainly something that could happen.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were leading the talks for Tehran.
The talks are being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
The negotiating table was set up in a U-shape, AFP reporters in the room saw, with Qatar and the United States on one side, Pakistan and Iran on the other – all with three seats each.
Pakistan and Qatar also had one each sitting in the middle, at the top of the table.
‘the outstretched hand’
What Trump “has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran,” Vance said.
Trump wants to “extend an outstretched hand that says to the people of Iran that if your leadership is willing to give up being a driver of regional instability, if they are willing to give up their long-term nuclear weapons ambitions, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country.
“That’s certainly our goal,” Vance said.
But as Vance met with the Iranians, Trump said in a Social Truth post that Tehran needed to rein in Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“If they don’t, we will hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump posted.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was joined at the Swiss talks by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as the mediators made their opening remarks.
“I think we will have wonderful discussions that will lead to, hopefully, very productive results in the times to come,” Sharif said.
“We hope that when we return to our homes, we will have a wonderful paper in hand that will promote peace, progress and prosperity around the globe.”
The Iranian delegation did not address reporters in the room, and at no point did Araghchi join Vance and the two mediating prime ministers for a photo together.
(aw)
