US, Iran Peace Talks In Switzerland 'Made Major Progress' Amid Trump Threats

Direct high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran resumed on Sunday, at Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, focusing on implementing a 60-day framework to end hostilities and address nuclear ambitions. Led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the negotiations aim to finalize a peace deal following an initial memorandum of understanding signed earlier in the week by Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian.

Vance, accompanied by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, sought to de-escalate tensions, telling reporters that "great progress" had been made and urging both sides to "turn over a new leaf" to transform relations. He characterized the violence in Lebanon as "messy" but manageable, emphasizing the goal of extending the interim ceasefire and addressing technical details of the nuclear agreement.

Key negotiation pillars center on three critical issues where compliance remains disputed. The parties are working to enforce a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, though recent Israeli air strikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks have threatened the stability of the agreement.

Discussions also address the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran claiming to have closed the waterway in response to "bad faith" while U.S. tracking data indicates oil traffic continues to flow with over 55 merchant ships transiting recently. The third major component involves Iran's nuclear program, where the U.S. seeks commitments to curb enrichment and allow inspections in exchange for lifting sanctions and providing a $300 billion reconstruction plan.

Roughly 90 minutes into face-to-face talks, President Donald Trump upended the room from afar via social media and a blunt 20-minute phone interview with Fox News.

On social media, Trump warned: "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!"

Addressing Iran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told Fox News the U.S. would forcefully intervene. "We may take over the strait, if we have to. If they don't make a deal, we'll collect tolls," he said. In an extraordinary escalation, the president also appeared to threaten the personal safety of the Iranian delegation currently in Switzerland. "You close it [the strait] and you won't have a country. You won't even make it back to your fucking country," he claimed to have told the Iraninans during a phone call.

Furious over what they deemed "bullying" and an explicit violation of the non-aggression clauses in the preliminary MoU, the Iranian delegation formally protested to the Qatari mediators and threatened  to walked out of the direct talks.

Ghalibaf fired back on X, stating, "Our armed forces are prepared to respond to them in a different manner. They may keep talking, it is we who act." State media reported the talks had entered a "difficult phase," though mediators scrambled behind the scenes to keep both sides engaged through proxy channels late into the night.

After about 18 hours of talks, Iran's Foreign Minister and member of the senior negotiating team, Seyed Abbas Araghchi said major progress was made. "Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War," he wrote on X. "Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran. 1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell."

In a joint statement at the end of the talks, the mediators -- Qatar and Pakistan -- said "encouraging progress has been made" during the 18 hours of negotiations.

The mediators said the U.S. and Iran agreed to establish a High Level Committee, which will provide political oversight to the negotiation in addition to working groups focused on nuclear, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group. Qatar and Pakistan said the U.S. and Iran agreed on 'a roadmap" for reaching a final deal within 60 days.