U.S. and Iran conclude high-level talks in Switzerland, mediators say

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The archetypal circular of talks betwixt high-ranking U.S. and Iranian officials successful Switzerland ended connected Monday (June 22, 2026), mediators said, aft a tense opening marked by Tehran’s announcement it had again closed ‌the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. President Donald Trump repeating his threats to resume attacks connected Iran.

A associated connection from mediating nations ​Qatar and Pakistan said the U.S. and Iran agreed to a roadmap toward a last woody wrong 60 days. Technical talks volition proceed for the ⁠rest of the week successful the Qatari-owned Swiss upland edifice of Buergenstock, according to the statement, which was released by the Qatari overseas ministry.

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The parties agreed to a mechanics to extremity the warring successful Lebanon and opened a communications enactment to assistance guarantee harmless passages for commercialized ships done the contested strait, the connection said. U.S. Vice President JD Vance had opened talks with Iranian officials connected Sunday (June 21, 2026) nether ‌the presumption of a memorandum of knowing reached past week to widen a tenuous ceasefire from April for astatine slightest different 60 days.

The discussions continued until the aboriginal hours of Monday (June 22, 2026). In a station connected societal media, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his state had secured waivers for lipid and petrochemical ‌exports, the merchandise of immoderate frozen assets and the motorboat of a reconstruction and improvement program for Iran.

The White House had nary contiguous remark erstwhile asked ‌if ⁠talks had wrapped for now. Just earlier talks officially began connected Sunday (June 21, 2026), Fox News reported that Trump said helium told Iranian officials “you won’t person a country” if ⁠they tried to adjacent the strait again. Trump besides reiterated an earlier menace that the U.S. would instrumentality implicit the waterway and perchance complaint a toll of its own, Fox News said.

U.S. and Iranian sources provided abstracted accounts of the discussions successful Switzerland.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim quality agency, citing an informed source, said that aft Trump’s threats became public, the Iranian delegation refused to instrumentality to the country wherever talks were held, though messages ​were inactive being traded via Pakistani and Qatari mediators.

According to Tasnim’s source, ‌Iranians said that the commencement of negotiations connected atomic matters required the transportation of different parts of the MOU, including the merchandise of frozen assets and U.S. waivers authorizing Iranian lipid exports.

“The Iranians ne'er near and are inactive present gathering and negotiating heavy into the night,” a U.S. diplomat progressive successful the talks told Reuters. “We’ve talked astir the Strait, Lebanon, atomic issues, and details of implementing the MoU, among different topics.”

High-level discussions are expected to wrapper up connected Monday, with method unit remaining to behaviour ‌further talks, according to a U.S. official.

The statement called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a choke constituent for planetary vigor shipments, and ending each hostilities, including ​in Lebanon, wherever Israel has continued to motorboat deadly strikes arsenic Iranian state Hezbollah fires astatine Israeli targets.

Iran, arguing that the U.S. had failed to conscionable its committedness to halt warring successful Lebanon, said connected the play that it had again stopped maritime postulation done the strait and that ⁠Sunday’s talks would not screen substantive issues specified arsenic Iran’s atomic programme.

At the talks successful Switzerland, wherever U.S. and Iranian officials met successful the beingness of Qatari mediators, Vance played down the interaction of unit successful Lebanon, saying advancement had been made towards ending hostilities there.

“These things are ever a small spot messy,” helium said.

Back successful the United States, Mr. Trump threatened ‌to resume attacks connected Iran if it did not rein successful its allies.

“Iran indispensable instantly halt their highly paid PROXIES successful Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump wrote connected societal media, seemingly referring to Hezbollah. “If they don’t, we’ll deed Iran precise hard again, conscionable similar we did past week, lone harder!!!”

Even arsenic Trump was threatening Iran, Vance told reporters the U.S. president had “asked america to crook implicit a caller leafage to alteration our narration with the radical of Iran.” A U.S. diplomat precocious Sunday said discussions included “clarifying immoderate of the confusing messaging from Iran connected the Strait and gathering deconfliction mechanisms to guarantee the Strait volition stay afloat open.”

Iran cites Lebanon arsenic crushed to adjacent Strait

Despite the announcement of a caller ceasefire successful Lebanon connected Friday (June 19, 2026), determination has been scant motion of an extremity to warring there. Iran said connected Saturday that arsenic a result, it had again unopen the strait, whose closure for ‌nearly 4 months caused the biggest disruption of planetary vigor supplies successful history.

U.S. officials disputed that the strait was closed, but commercially disposable shipping information showed an contiguous impact.

Five vessels passed the strait connected ​Sunday, a crisp driblet from the 26 ships spotted a time earlier, information from analytics steadfast Kpler showed. The information whitethorn exclude vessels that power disconnected their transponders portion travelling successful the Gulf.

Iran’s Fars quality bureau cited a subject root arsenic saying connected Sunday that nary caller permits were ⁠being issued for ships to transverse until further notice. Trump said helium agreed to past week’s memorandum of knowing to avert a planetary economical slump from precocious lipid prices caused by the strait’s ⁠closure. Oil prices had tumbled implicit the past week to levels unseen since the warfare started connected February 28 with U.S.-Israeli attacks connected Iran. Brent crude futures roseate much than $1 to $81.66 a tube successful aboriginal Monday trading, pursuing the rocky commencement to the bid talks.

Sunday (June 21, 2026) appeared to beryllium the quietest time successful Lebanon for ‌some time, with nary reports of large unit by nightfall, aft 2 days of dense Israeli strikes and occurrence from Hezbollah fighters connected Israeli positions.

More than 1 cardinal radical person fled their homes successful Lebanon since Israel invaded successful March to prosecute Hezbollah fighters who fired crossed the borderline successful enactment of Tehran.

Reuters journalists successful confederate Lebanon ​on Sunday saw immoderate of the heaviest postulation since the memorandum was signed, with residents returning to their homes. Some stood beside cars backed up connected the road and waved Hezbollah flags.

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