Vice President JD Vance lands in Switzerland to launch Iran nuclear talks
The negotiations are part of a wider approach to bring the conflict in Iran to a close.
Vice President JD Vance has touched down in Switzerland to help formally launch negotiations with Iranian leaders over curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.
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The negotiations are part of a wider approach to bring the conflict in Iran to a close.
Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, are understood to have arrived at Emmen Air Base outside Lucerne at just before 6 a.m. local time.
The meeting follows a framework agreed by both the US and Iran last week, providing negotiators with a 60-day window to reach a conclusion on the technical details.
Despite this, the first days of the agreement have been littered with the heavy exchange of fire in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
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Iran’s military also subsequently announced that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz - a vital waterway and key element to ongoing negotiations - although this was disputed by U.S. Central Command, who said US forces continue to monitor the situation to ensure continued traffic.
Vance had originally been expected to touch down at the picturesque Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne on Friday, but his plans were delayed after fighting escalated in Lebanon and Iranian officials canceled plans to attend the talks.
Vance then appeared to depart the U.S. last night, after a turnaround in which Iranian state TV said Iran’s negotiators had arrived in Switzerland.
Tehran’s negotiators include parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with central bank and oil officials.
The U.S. vice president will be accompanied by special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom have already been on the ground to begin sifting through the technical details of the talks.