High-level technical negotiations between the United States and Iran aimed at shaping a potential peace agreement are scheduled to begin in Switzerland on Sunday, even as tensions intensify across the Middle East following renewed Iranian restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz and continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Pakistan’s government previously said the talks, which were postponed on Friday, are expected to mark the first step toward drafting a final agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed to Al Jazeera that Tehran’s delegation has departed for Switzerland. The team is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with senior officials overseeing security, energy and economic portfolios. Iranian state media reported the delegation arrived in Zurich on Saturday evening.
On the U.S. side, Vice President JD Vance left Washington to attend the discussions, which are expected to begin Sunday. Vance expressed cautious optimism that the talks could produce progress on Iran’s nuclear program as well as efforts to sustain a ceasefire in Lebanon.
“I may only be there for a day or two. I hope we can make progress on the nuclear issue and also on the Lebanon ceasefire issue,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News, according to Reuters.
The Swiss talks follow a memorandum of understanding previously signed by the United States and Iran, which outlined commitments to permanently halt military operations across multiple conflict fronts, including Lebanon. Both sides have set a target of reaching a final agreement within 60 days, with a possible extension if mutually agreed.
However, the path to negotiations has been uneven. A planned round of talks on Friday was postponed after Iran declined to send a delegation, citing ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Although Israel and Hezbollah announced a ceasefire on Friday, hostilities have not fully subsided. Lebanese authorities reported at least 32 deaths from attacks on Saturday, following 83 fatalities and 141 injuries recorded the previous day by the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Amid the violence, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Saturday that it was reimposing restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said the move was in response to Israeli actions in Lebanon and what it described as a failure by the United States to uphold commitments under the ceasefire framework.
The IRGC also warned commercial vessels to avoid the strategic waterway, citing safety risks for crews.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said energy flows from the Middle East would remain disrupted unless the U.S.-Iran agreement is implemented in practice.
“The flow of Middle East energy will remain halted as long as the U.S.-Iran agreement exists only on paper,” he said.
The U.S. government rejected claims that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, saying international shipping continues to operate normally and American forces remain deployed in the region to secure global trade routes.
U.S. Central Command reported that 55 commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Washington said global shipping and energy distribution have not experienced disruptions.
CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said Iran does not control the strategic waterway.
“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” Hawkins said.
