US-Iran talks in Switzerland stretch into night as progress reported on nuclear, Hormuz, Lebanon issues

Burgenstock (Switzerland), June 22 (IANS) Negotiations between the United States and Iran continued late into the night in Switzerland on Sunday, with US officials saying discussions remained active and expressing confidence that talks launched by Vice President JD Vance had produced early progress on Iran’s nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz and the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon.

“We still anticipate they will continue through the night,” a US official said shortly after 1:14 a.m. local time, when reporters travelling with the Vice President were informed that negotiations remained underway.

The update came hours after Vance said negotiators had already made significant headway during the first day of talks at the Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne.

“We’ve already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we’ll make additional progress in the hours to come,” Vance told reporters before entering the meeting.

According to a statement later provided by a senior US diplomat engaged in the negotiations, the American delegation has been in continuous talks since Vance arrived in Switzerland earlier in the day.

“The Vice President touched down around 6am this morning and our delegation has been engaged in constant meetings and negotiations since then,” the diplomat said.

The official also rejected reports suggesting the Iranian delegation had left the talks.

“Contrary to rampant false reporting, the Iranians are still here and discussions are ongoing. We anticipate continuing to work through the night,” the statement said.

The negotiations have focused on several key issues that have emerged since the preliminary US-Iran agreement earlier this week.

“Topics of discussion have included clarifying some of the confusing messaging from Iran on the Strait and building deconfliction mechanisms to ensure the Strait will remain fully open,” the senior diplomat said.

The talks have also addressed the security situation in Lebanon, where renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has threatened broader regional diplomacy.

“We have also worked through deconfliction mechanisms and enforcing the ceasefire in southern Lebanon,” the diplomat said.

Earlier in the day, Vance said he remained optimistic about efforts to stabilise Lebanon despite ongoing tensions.

“There, of course, are going to be sometimes disagreements about precisely how to get there, but I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There’s still some additional wood to chop, but we’re going to keep on working,” he said.

The senior US diplomat said negotiators had also made progress on the core issue of Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We’ve had robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear deal. We plan to continue working through each of these issues and using today’s work as a starting point for ongoing technical talks going forward,” the statement said.

–IANS

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