Here's the latest
• Talks begin: High-stakes talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, are underway in Switzerland. As he greeted dignitaries in the mountain resort of Bürgenstock, Vice President JD Vance said the US is willing to “fundamentally transform” relations with Tehran. Solidifying a ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s nuclear program are among the top priorities for today’s meetings.
• In Lebanon: Israel has been exchanging fire with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, despite a renewed truce. Dozens of people have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon in the past two days, marking some of the worst bloodshed of the current conflict.
• Strait of Hormuz: The US military says traffic “continues to flow” in the key waterway, despite Iran’s claims yesterday that it closed the strait over what it said were Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon and the US’ failure to implement the first clause of their agreement.
Trump committed to "full ceasefire," Vance says, noting progress in Lebanon
US President Donald Trump has “committed” his country “to see a full ceasefire,” Vice President JD Vance just told reporters in Switzerland, adding that he “feel(s) great” about “where we are in Lebanon.”
The US has done “more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world over the last few months,” Vance said, in response to a question about Israel’s fighting in Lebanon.
“Peace is never easy. Peace always requires a little bit of work. It always requires a little bit of give and take,” he added.
Vance acknowledged that there are “going to be sometimes disagreements about precisely how to get (towards regional peace),” but said that “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 at it.”
The vice president also said that today’s talks in Switzerland are the beginning of technical negotiations, noting that they will not bring about an immediate resolution.
Today’s gathering is “not going to solve every disagreement, but it’s going to allow us to sit together as teams for the first time, really in history, to figure out what matters most to the respective parties, to settle those issues, to solve those issues and get to a better tomorrow,” he said.
Vance: US willing to "fundamentally transform" relations with Iran
We’ve just been hearing some remarks from US Vice President JD Vance ahead of the high-level — and high-stakes — meeting with Iran, in which he said the US was willing to “fundamentally transform” its relations with the country.
“Never before has the Iranian and American leadership met at such a high level,” Vance began.
“We’ve already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we will make additional progress in the hours to come.”
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill seven people, including a child
Israeli military raids have killed at least seven people in Lebanon, including a child and two elderly people, Lebanese state media reported on Sunday, as fighting between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah persisted.
A child, a woman and two elderly people were killed in the town of Sahmar, in the Bekaa Valley, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). Further south, two Palestinian people were killed in the Rashidieh refugee camp, in Tyre, Lebanon, NNA reported.
The Israel Defense Forces told CNN it was “not familiar with any IDF activity in these places” since midnight Sunday local time.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon: After hostilities flared between Israel and Hezbollah in early March, Palestinian communities in refugee camps along Lebanon’s south have been among those “most exposed to military activity,” according to the nonprofit American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera).
About 222,000 Palestinians are estimated to live in Lebanon today, Anera said in a report published on Thursday. Many started to settle there during al-Nakba, or “the catastrophe,” of 1948, Anera added, when more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forcibly expelled from their homes following the 1948/49 war, in what is now Israel.
People staying in refugee camps around Tyre, including Rashidieh, Burj El Shemali and El Buss, have faced “recurring insecurity, nearby strikes and periods of isolation,” the Anera report said. “For Palestinian communities already living under prolonged precarity, the war has stripped away any sense of security,” the report added.
CNN’s Dana Karni contributed reporting.
Vance greets officials in Switzerland
US Vice President JD Vance has entered a room in the Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock, where he’s greeting numerous dignitaries set to participate in today’s talks between the United States and Iran.
Video showed Vance talking to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Syed Asim Munir. Flags of the US and Iran, as well as mediators Qatar and Pakistan, stand in the corner of the room.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are also in attendance.
A look at what's happened in Switzerland so far today
Delegations from US and Iran are due to take part in high-stakes, face-to-face talks for the first time in ten weeks today, with Tehran’s nuclear program and Israel’s fighting in Lebanon expected to be high on the agenda.
Here’s what’s been going on with the talks so far today:
- US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Bürgenstock, Switzerland for the discussions this morning, according to his office.
- At the start of bilateral talks with mediators Pakistan, Vance declined to answer questions. He did not respond when asked by a journalist what his message was to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy of Communications and Information Dissemination of the President’s Office, Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaie, has said that the US-Iran peace agreement cannot be implemented unless the war in Lebanon ends.
- An emergency session on Lebanon has been added to the talks and will be the first topic addressed, a diplomat briefed on the session told CNN.
- Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog met with Switzerland’s foreign minister in Bürgenstock, he posted on X earlier.
CNN’s Sophie Tanno, Izzy Lippolis, Sana Noor Haq and Becky Anderson contributed to this reporting.
Israel “will not withdraw" from Lebanon, says defense minister
The Israeli military “will not withdraw from the security zone” in Lebanon, according to Israel’s defense minister, after a ceasefire agreement was announced between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Israel Katz declared there is “no restriction” on soldiers “operating in Lebanon.”
“Our forces remain deployed in the security zone along the Yellow Line in Lebanon and operate from there against terrorists and terrorist infrastructure,” he said. “The ceasefire announced yesterday leaves the IDF in all of its positions within the security zone that protects the communities of northern Israel.”
Why Lebanon is pertinent: Israel has intensified a bombing campaign across swathes of Lebanon lately, including when a shaky ceasefire was announced between Israeli forces and Hezbollah on Friday. Both parties have cast doubt on the terms of the deal - the details of which have not been released publicly.
Fighting in Lebanon has become inextricably linked to the pathway for long-term peace between Tehran and Washington. Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted that any ceasefire in the region must involve one in Lebanon, as stated in the first clause of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Delegations from the US, Iran and Pakistan are in Switzerland today for talks, with an emergency session on Lebanon the first topic to be addressed, a diplomatic source told CNN.
Head of UN’s nuclear watchdog meets Swiss foreign minister ahead of US-Iran talks
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has met with Switzerland’s foreign minister at the Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock, he posted on X earlier today.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that he met with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis “to take stock of recent developments regarding Iran, the path ahead and the important role of the IAEA.”
Delegations from the US and Iran are set to meet in Bürgenstock later today to discuss their agreement towards ending the war between them.
Some context: US Vice President JD Vance, who landed in Switzerland this morning, said his top priorities in negotiations with Iran are to set up the structure of talks going forward, “make progress” on the nuclear issues and achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon.
The vice president said he would be able to stay in Switzerland only for a “day or two” but hoped he would make advancements on negotiations surrounding the handling of Iran’s nuclear materials.
Iran’s nuclear program: In the initial framework agreement with the US signed earlier this week, Tehran confirmed that it “shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.” But the sides agreed to wait on deciding what to do with Tehran’s stockpile of enriched nuclear material until they entered a designated 60-day window to negotiate final terms.
What happens to this stockpile has been previously one of the primary sticking points in negotiations.
CNN’s Lauren Kent and Aileen Graef contributed to this reporting.
Iran says war in Lebanon must end for peace agreement to be implemented
The US-Iran peace agreement cannot be implemented unless the war in Lebanon ends, Seyed Mehdi Tabatabaie, Iran’s Deputy of Communications and Information Dissemination of the President’s Office, has said.
“The continuation of the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon will lead to the invalidation of the entire agreement,” he wrote on X, ahead of today’s talks in Switzerland.
Iran will raise the issue of violations to the initial US-Iran peace deal in this afternoon’s meeting, Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Baghaei said, as reported by state news agency Fars.
A spokesperson for Iran’s negotiation team said the Iranian delegation’s plan is to continue the talks until tonight, and that they weren’t likely to last any longer.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meanwhile said that Iran’s former Supreme Leader had made it clear that Tehran didn’t want an atomic bomb anyway, regarding US demands that they did not acquire one.
“The only point for America is that we do not have an atomic bomb; this is something that the martyred leader also repeatedly said, we do not want an atomic bomb. America said write this down and sign it, and we signed it,” Pezeshkian said.
Vance doesn’t answer question about Netanyahu as he meets Pakistani mediators
US Vice President JD Vance declined to answer questions at the start of bilteral talks with mediators Pakistan in Switzerland, ahead of discussions with Iranian officials later today.
Vance did not give formal remarks but thanked the Pakistani delegation for their attendance at the Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, and did not respond when asked by a journalist what his message was to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Some context: The Trump administration has expressed increasing ire over Israel’s ongoing campaign in Lebanon, warning that escalating military strikes between Israel and Hezbollah are marring fragile truce talks with Tehran.
Vance told Fox News yesterday that the US and Israel may have “a divergence of how to accomplish” goals related to ending violence in Iran.
It came after he insisted that US President Donald Trump is “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.”
He further warned that, “if I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
Pakistan has been a key mediator since the ceasefire
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Syed Asim Munir are in Switzerland today, where discussions between the US and Iran are unfolding, a statement from the country’s prime minister’s office said.
Yesterday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Iran, where he held meetings with senior officials from the Iranian regime, including the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Iranian media.
The meetings were part of efforts to try to get Iranian officials to travel to Switzerland for the talks.
Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic bridge between the US and Iran, having hosted face-to-face talks between delegations from both countries back in April. Pakistani officials have passed peace proposals and counterproposals between the warring sides and helped to negotiate and extend the ceasefire between them.
The country is well-placed to act as mediator given its cordial ties with both Iran and the United States, with Munir — who US President Donald Trump has called his “favorite field marshal” — leading Islamabad’s efforts.
Earlier this week, Sharif signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran as a mediator, in the country’s capital, Islamabad.
Pakistan is also home to the largest population of Shia Muslims outside of Iran and, unlike Islamic countries in the Gulf region, does not host any US military bases.
CNN’s Billy Stockwell contributed to this reporting.
A look at the last face-to-face talks between Vance and Ghalibaf
US Vice President JD Vance last met for face-to-face talks with Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, ten weeks ago, in mid-April.
The meeting came days after a ceasefire between Tehran and Washington was first announced.
Then, delegations from the US and Iran met in Islamabad, Pakistan, for a marathon 21 hours of talks, but eventually left the country without a deal to end the war.
Vance suggested at the time that the primary sticking point was Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program, while Ghalibaf said the US failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency blamed “US overreach and ambitions” for preventing “a common framework and agreement.”
A week later, US President Donald Trump announced plans for US negotiators to travel to Pakistan once again, but canceled the trip days later because of what he called “infighting” among Iran’s fractured leadership.
After this, Trump said that discussions with Iran were taking place “telephonically.”
This week’s meeting between US and Iranian representatives in Switzerland was initially planned to be a ceremony for the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between them.
The meeting was postponed after the document was electronically signed.
Now, the parties are meeting for vital negotiations once again, after Tehran accused the US of “failing” to comply with the agreement in allowing Israel to continue its fighting in Lebanon.
More than 4,000 people have now been killed Israeli attacks on the country since March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said yesterday.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Tim Lister, Aida Karimi, Laura Sharman, Alejandra Jaramillo, Kit Maher, Donald Judd, Sana Noor Haq and Charbel Mallo contributed to this reporting.
What we know so far about the upcoming US-Iran talks in Switzerland
Delegations from the US, Iran and Pakistan have arrived in Switzerland with talks expected to start later today.
Here’s what we know about the upcoming meetings:
- When and where do the talks start? US and Iranian negotiators will begin their meeting at around 1 p.m local time (7 a.m. ET) at the Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock, an Iranian source told CNN.
- Who will be there? Both the United States and Iran have sent high-level officials to Switzerland. Vice President JD Vance is heading up the US side, while Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, will lead Tehran’s delegation, Iranian media outlet Saberin News reported Saturday.
- What format will they take? Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, who is part of the Iranian team, earlier told state media “the Iran-US talks will be held in a quadrilateral format, with the presence of Pakistani and Qatari delegations.”
- What will be discussed? Lebanon is likely set to top the agenda after clashes between Israel and Hezbollah threatened the nascent agreement between the US and Iran. Vance says he hoped he would make advancements on negotiations surrounding the handling of Iran’s nuclear materials.
Ships still cautious about using Strait of Hormuz
Shipping companies remain cautious about sending their vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid conflicting signals about the agreement between the US and Iran and the presence of dozens of mines.
The status of the vital shipping route will be on the agenda of talks due to between the two parties in Switzerland later today.
After a spike in traffic last week, Iran’s military command said on Saturday it would again close the Strait, alleging Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon and the US “failing to implement” the first clause of the tentative agreement to end the war.
It accused the US of a “clear breach of its commitments” and announced that “the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to the passage of vessels,” in a statement reported by state broadcaster IRIB.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency cited a military source as saying today that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy has not issued permission for any vessels to transit until further notice.
What’s the latest in the Strait?
Ship-tracking sites show several crude oil tankers and bulk carriers have passed through the Strait in the past 24 hours – some transiting close to the Omani coast rather than near the Iranian side.
“Commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz increased June 20 as U.S. forces continued operating in the general area to support freedom of navigation,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday.
It said 55 merchant ships had transited Friday, “moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.”
It also reposted guidance from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre recommending vessels use “the southern transit route” close to Oman.
Maritime analysts Windward reported a surge in outbound traffic on Thursday, with 19 vessels passing through the Strait, including several tankers.
Ghalibaf leading Iranian delegation to Switzerland, media reports
Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, will head the country’s delegation to engage in talks with the US in Switzerland, Iranian media outlet Saberin News reported Saturday.
Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, has played a central role throughout Iran’s series of negotiations for an end to the conflict.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei are also in the delegation with several other officials, including banking and oil leaders, the outlet said.
As we’ve reported, US Vice President JD Vance has also arrived in Switzerland for the talks, according to his office.
Vance on "rescue mission" in Switzerland, former US government advisor says
Vice President JD Vance is on a “rescue mission” in Switzerland where US-Iran talks are due to take place , a former US government advisor told CNN on Sunday.
“I think the vice president’s trip right now is less about this victory lap and more of a rescue mission of those talks,” said Negah Angha, a former senior advisor at the US Department of State and National Security Council.
“Merely being able to move forward with the talks, having those, those conversations will be a clear win for the next couple of days.”
She said that the 60-day deadline to hammer out a deal on Iran’s nuclear program might be too short.
“Sixty days is going to be complicated when you’re trying to decide whether or not some of these nuclear components are going to essentially be watered down in Iran,” she said.
Vance has landed in Switzerland for talks
Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Switzerland for US-Iran talks, according to his office.
His convoy was seen at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne on Sunday.
Before departing, he said his top priorities in negotiations with Iran are to set up the structure of the talks, “make progress” on the nuclear issues and achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon.
US and Iran share "vested interest" in continuing talks despite violations: analyst
Both the United States and Iran have sent high-level officials to Switzerland for talks despite claims of violations from both sides because they share a “vested interest” in ending the conflict, an analyst told CNN on Sunday.
Sina Azodi, director of George Washington University’s Middle East studies program, noted Israel’s attacks on Lebanon are an issue for Iran while the US could possibly interpret Tehran claiming to close the Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the memorandum of understanding.
“For both sides, ending this conflict, this war of choice, rather, is a vested interest,” he said.
Azodi also said Tehran may want to “test and see” whether Washington will be able to rein in Israel and end the hostilities in Lebanon.
“They hope that through negotiations with the American side, they can get the US to pressure Israelis to stop for them.”
Talks in Switzerland to start with emergency session on Lebanon: source
An emergency session on Lebanon has been added to the talks in Switzerland and will be the first topic addressed, a diplomat briefed on the session told CNN on Sunday.
Before departing for Switzerland, US Vice President JD Vance said one priority was to make progress on a ceasefire in Lebanon, which has again come under missile fire from Israel.
Ending the conflict in Lebanon is “the most important item on the Iranian delegation’s agenda,” an Iranian official told CNN on Saturday.
Vance sets top priorities as he departs for negotiations
US Vice President JD Vance said his top priorities in negotiations with Iran are to set up the structure of the talks, “make progress” on the nuclear issues and achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon.
“We’re going to have a principal level of political leadership at the top and then obviously the technical team is going to stay on the ground,” Vance said before departing for Switzerland today.
The vice president said he would be able to stay in Switzerland only for a “day or two” but hoped he would make advancements on negotiations surrounding the handling of Iran’s nuclear materials.
Vance said one priority is to make progress on a ceasefire in Lebanon, which has again come under missile fire from Israel. Vance said the situation is one “we’re just going to have to continuously manage.”
“Those are the two big things we’re going to be focused on. I’m sure the Iranians are going to have issues they’d like to discuss as well,” he said.
Pakistan leader and army chief depart for Switzerland to attend US-Iran talks
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Syed Asim Munir have departed Islamabad and are on their way to Switzerland where diplomatic discussions between the US and Iran are unfolding, a statement from the prime minister’s office said Sunday.
Pakistan has operated as a major mediator in US-Iran talks since a ceasefire was first announced.
“Pakistan will continue to support and advance the implementation of the understandings reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The talks will include US Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner and the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
