US-Iran talks began Sunday at the Bürgenstock Resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, with US Vice President JD Vance calling the high-level meeting “historic.”
Vance said President Donald Trump wanted to “turn over a new leaf” in relations with the Iranian people and pursue a different path through technical negotiations.
Qatar said the Lake Lucerne Summit had started with representatives from the United States, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan taking part.
The talks launched a 60-day technical process aimed at turning an interim memorandum of understanding into a broader political and security settlement.
Vance led the US delegation with special peace envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran’s delegation included Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
BREAKING: Vice President Vance delivers remarks in Switzerland ahead of meeting with Mideast leaders for Iran deal talks. pic.twitter.com/amX9SCWuOp
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 21, 2026Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan and Qatari mediators also joined the process. Pakistan’s prime minister’s office said Sharif met Vance on the sidelines of the talks.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the agenda included the Lebanon ceasefire, US waivers for Iranian oil sales and the release of Iran’s frozen assets.
Iranian state media said Tehran’s delegation rejected a planned handshake and joint photo opportunity with the US side before the negotiations.
Read: US-Iran Talks Open With Lebanon Emergency Session
President Trump warned Iran on Truth Social to stop what he called its “highly paid proxies” in Lebanon from “causing trouble.” He said the United States would strike Iran again if they did not.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he met Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in Bürgenstock to discuss Iran and the role of the UN nuclear watchdog.
