Obbuergen (Switzerland): Vice President J D Vance on Monday said his lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” as they seek a permanent end to the war that the US and Israel began in late February.
“The final deal is the house,” Vance told reporters after initial talks with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. “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.”
Iran noted “major progress” to end the fighting in Lebanon and called that the first real test of the negotiations.
The mediation effort in Switzerland, which started Sunday and stretched into early Monday, had rocky moments. But the talks also led to some agreements, mediators said, as technical talks continue this week.
Trump did not attend what was dubbed the “Lake Lucerne Summit,” but his presence certainly loomed large. The talks were jolted by statements from Trump, who, from thousands of miles away, fired off comments that offended the Iranians.
Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the US President.” The negotiations later continued.
Vance pushed back against the notion that Trump’s threats complicated the talks.
“No, they didn’t throw a wrench in the system,” Vance said. He added, “Yes, they did threaten to walk out, or at least there were social media threats that they would walk out. But we were negotiating well past one in the morning yesterday, so they didn’t walk out.”
The Vice President suggested that the US could agree to unfreeze Iranian assets for purchases of US soy, corn and wheat. He said Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and one of the lead US negotiators, came up with the idea with officials from Qatar.
Vance said Qatar would have approval over the process, and Iranian money that would be accessible as sanctions were lifted would buy American products “for the benefit of the Iranian people.”
Iran, which has pressed for the unfreezing of billions of dollars in assets, has not commented on the idea. The assets have been made inaccessible over years of sanctions, banking restrictions and legal disputes imposed by the US and international community on the Islamic Republic.
In a joint statement, mediators Pakistan and Qatar hailed what they called “encouraging progress.”
The interim deal to end the fighting in Iran, signed last week by the leaders of the US and Iran, sets a 60-day period for negotiators on various issues.
including the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that Iran wants to use it for military purposes, a claim the country denies.
Vance and US officials claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments, remains open and that a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon holds.
While he was returning to Washington, Vance said the technical talks are critical.
“We wanted to set up a structure for that so that you could have proper political oversight, but obviously, as much as this place is very beautiful, I can’t stay here for the next 60 days,” Vance told reporters.
US envoys Kushner and Steve Witkoff are handling many of the technical details.
Meanwhile, investors absorbed the ups-and-downs of Trump’s strategy in Iran. Trading was mixed early Monday and oil prices edged lower on fresh optimism about the progress of the US-Iran negotiations.
Trump, over the weekend, made clear he was annoyed by Iran’s public commentary on the strait, which Iran’s military said it closed Saturday in response to continued fighting in Lebanon. US Central Command has disputed that Iran closed the strait again.
Ahead of the talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media.
Vance said the Iranians should have expected such a reaction from Trump.
“What we told the Iranians Sunday is when you guys engage in what us millennials might call trash talk, you can’t expect the President of the United States not to respond and not to correct the record,” Vance said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that mediators delivered “major progress to end the Lebanon War.” But he said the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the mechanism succeeds in halting the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Iran has insisted on first addressing the fighting in Lebanon. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the US-Iran deal.
A renewed ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to be holding, and Israel’s military said it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday.
Cautious calm continued Monday in Lebanon, with no Israeli strikes reported overnight. Hezbollah has not announced any attacks on Israeli forces since Saturday.
The lull in fighting in Lebanon is the longest since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2.
“This region has been a basket case for a very long time,” Vance said.
