US-Iran talks in Switzerland opened Sunday with an emergency session on Lebanon after Tehran said negotiations could not advance while Israeli strikes continued, according to diplomats briefed on the agenda.
US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland for the talks, which are being held at Bürgenstock near Lucerne, his office said.
Iranian negotiators were also on the ground after warning that Lebanon would be their first priority.
A diplomat briefed on the session told CNN that the Lebanon conflict had been added as the opening topic. An Iranian official told the network that ending attacks in Lebanon was “the most important item” on Tehran’s agenda.
Vance said before departure that Washington aimed to structure the negotiations, make progress on Iran’s nuclear program and seek movement on a Lebanon ceasefire. He said he expected to remain in Switzerland for “a day or two.”
Iran also said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to renewed Israeli strikes in Lebanon. US Central Command rejected Tehran’s claim of control over the waterway and said commercial traffic continued through the channel.
Reuters reported that the talks followed a 60-day US-Iran ceasefire framework, while disputes remained over Iran’s nuclear material and security guarantees linked to Lebanon.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also left Islamabad for Switzerland, according to Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office, after Islamabad helped mediate the US-Iran process.
Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said Israeli strikes killed at least 20 people on Saturday, one day after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect.
Read: US Iran Switzerland Talks Draw Shehbaz, Asim Munir
Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets after projectiles were fired at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
