Iran and the United States agreed Monday to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and establish communication lines to end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, following their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the war in the Middle East.
Teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf began talks on Sunday, beginning a two-month negotiation period set out under a preliminary agreement agreed last week.
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the talks took place in a “positive and constructive atmosphere”.
“Encouraging progress has been made, including the creation of a mechanism for further technical dialogue,” he said, detailing a contact channel established to “avoid incidents and miscommunications” in the Strait of Hormuz.
He said a “conflict resolution room” had also been set up between the parties and Lebanese authorities to prevent fighting from re-igniting.
Technical talks will continue for the rest of the week in the Swiss resort of Bergenstock.
Tehran effectively closed the key waterway to the Strait of Hormuz on February 28 in retaliation against joint strikes by Israel and the United States that had sparked war in the Middle East.
Lebanon was embroiled in conflict as Iran-ally Hezbollah attacked Israel over the war on Iran, leading the Israelis to bomb the neighboring country.
After a series of false starts, Washington and Tehran eventually signed a memorandum of understanding toward ending the conflict that included a provision to end fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
But there have been repeated clashes in Lebanon since then, prompting Iran to say it would again close the vital oil and gas trade route it opened as part of the deal.
“Relentless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has made major progress in ending the Lebanon war,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on Twitter after talks in Switzerland.
He wrote, “Oil and petrochemical exports have been waived, the blockade has been lifted, some frozen assets have been released, and a major reconstruction and development plan for Iran has been launched. The first real test: the Lebanon deconfliction cell.”
The development followed a shaky start to talks when the Islamic Republic’s delegation walked out on Sunday in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iran over its support for Hezbollah.
proxy
Trump threatened to attack Iran if it did not “immediately stop its highly paid proxies from causing trouble in Lebanon”.
Iran hit back with its own warning.
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, “They better be careful with their statements; our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different way. It doesn’t matter what they say, we are the ones who take action.”
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops would remain in south Lebanon “as long as necessary” and vowed he would “not let Iran acquire nuclear weapons”.
As of Sunday evening, there were no reports of Israeli attacks or ongoing fighting, with some residents of southern Lebanon cautiously returning to their homes.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has repeatedly threatened to derail peace efforts.
On Friday, planned US-Iranian talks were postponed after Israel carried out deadly strikes in Lebanon that killed four of its soldiers in the war.
Israel’s military chief visited troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday, where he said Hezbollah was in a “very difficult situation.”
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said, “Hezbollah has suffered a serious and significant blow, and we are committed to continuing operations and being prepared to prevent its reconquest.”
The health ministry said the total death toll from fighting in Lebanon now exceeds 4,100.
‘new leaf’
US Vice President JD Vance had earlier hailed “a historic meeting” in Switzerland.
Vance, who was flanked by US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, said: “The question before us now is how much more can we achieve together?
“Can we make a turning point? Can we permanently change relations in the Middle East?
“Or do we fall back on doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but it’s certainly something that could happen.”
Apart from Lebanon, there is no indication that Iran’s support for armed groups across the region, which has long drawn the ire of the US and Israel, will be addressed in the talks.
Speaking on Sunday, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not give up its right to enrich uranium, although he reiterated Iran’s denial that it wants nuclear weapons.
He said, “We can also state in writing that we have no intention of making a bomb.”