The vice president said the talks produced progress on nuclear monitoring, the Strait of Hormuz, and a mechanism to manage tensions in Lebanon.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that Iran had agreed to allow international nuclear inspectors back into the country, calling it a major breakthrough from the first round of U.S.–Iran talks in Switzerland and saying negotiators had laid “a very good foundation” for a final agreement to end the war.
Speaking at the Bürgenstock resort near Lake Lucerne in Switzerland on June 22 after marathon negotiations that stretched into the early hours of Monday, Vance said the talks achieved a number of key U.S. objectives. These include mechanisms to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, efforts to reinforce a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, and progress on Iran’s nuclear program—with Vance describing movement on the nuclear issue as “probably what we’re most excited about.”
“The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] inspectors back into their country,” Vance told reporters at a briefing. “That is a major milestone for the American people and the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran.”
Vance said technical teams from the United States, Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan would continue negotiations in Switzerland in the coming days as part of a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days.
“We laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal,” Vance said. “The final deal is the house. We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”
The comments came a day after mediators Qatar and Pakistan announced what they described as “encouraging progress” at the first high-level talks held under the framework of a June 17 memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran that halted direct hostilities and cleared the way for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.
“I think it’s important for all of us to appreciate how much was done, but honestly, there is still a lot to do as we continue to make progress on the nuclear talks, on the economic talks, as we continue to demine the straits and ensure that that flow of traffic continues to pick back up,” Vance said, referring to operations to remove Iranian naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz, the key maritime chokepoint whose blockade has triggered a global energy crisis.
“A lot of progress, but still some work to do, and we’re very committed to doing exactly that.”
Vance said he would be returning to Washington while a technical team would remain in Switzerland to continue negotiations with the Iranian side on what could be a lasting peace.
By Tom Ozimek
