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Takeaways from the talks in Switzerland
• “Progress” in talks: Recently concluded talks between the US and Iran were “positive and constructive” according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan. A High Level Committee to oversee mediation and a “line of communication” for the Strait of Hormuz are being set up, mediators said. Technical talks will continue this week in Switzerland.
• Tense moments: President Donald Trump earlier angered Iran’s top negotiator by threatening the Tehran delegation, which stalled talks. Trump told Fox News the US could resume bombing Iran and “take over” the Strait of Hormuz if a deal is not reached.
• Lebanon conflict: The US and Iran agreed to create a “de-confliction cell,” facilitated by Qatar and Pakistan to ensure the end of military operations in Lebanon, according to the mediators. Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has been a key obstacle to a deal, with Tehran insisting that deadly Israeli strikes must stop.
Iran talks conclude constructively after Trump's threats stalled them. Here's the latest
US-Iran negotiations concluded constructively in Switzerland overnight and technical talks will continue this week, according to mediators, after President Donald Trump’s threats stalled progress.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said sanctions on his country’s oil had been waived and some of its assets frozen abroad had been released. He also said “a major reconstruction and development plan for Iran has been launched.”
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the US and Iran agreed to establish a High Level Committee to provide “political oversight on the mediation.” Negotiators reporting to the committee will lead groups focused on nuclear issues, sanctions, and other means to implement the US-Iran agreement, the mediators said in a joint statement.
The mediators also said “encouraging progress” had been made in the talks — a surprising outcome after a long stretch of uncertainty.
Just hours before, an Iranian source told CNN talks had stalled after Trump took aim at Iran in an interview with Fox News. Trump threatened to resume bombing Iran and take over the Strait of Hormuz, saying “If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls.”
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran initially refused to continue after Trump’s threats were aired, according to state media.
Trump has previously suggested the US impose tolls on the strait, while insisting Iran never be allowed to do so. Last week, Trump said the US-Iran agreement would ensure the strait is “permanently toll free.”
Oil prices climbed after Trump’s threats.
But after talks in Switzerland ended, Qatar and Pakistan said Iran and the US had formed a “line of communication” to manage incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, raising hopes that stability for the oil trade chokepoint lies ahead.
The line has been created to “avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels” for the 60-day period outlined in the US-Iran agreement.
Still looming over talks, however, is the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon, which has continued despite a recent renewal of their ceasefire agreement.
The US and Iran agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” involving Lebanon and facilitated by Qatar and Pakistan, to ensure the end of military operations in Lebanon, mediators said.
Aragchi said the “first real test” will be the effectiveness of that effort.
CNN’s Lex Harvey, Nic Robertson, Sophia Saifi and Aileen Graef contributed reporting.
Mediators say Iran and US form communications line for Hormuz
Iran and the US have formed a “line of communication” aimed at ensuring “safe passage” in the Strait of Hormuz, mediators Qatar and Pakistan said in their joint statement on the recently concluded round of talks in Switzerland.
The new communication line has been created to “avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz” for the 60-day period outlined in the initial memorandum, according to the statement.
According to the memorandum, Iran will use its “best efforts” to ensure “safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge” from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa.
The Strait has been a key point of leverage for Iran throughout negotiations. On Saturday, Iran’s military command said it would close the vital waterway in response to Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon and the US “failing to implement” the agreement to end the war.
Trump threatened to “take over the Strait” in remarks to Fox News Sunday that nearly derailed the negotiations.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the talks.
Sanctions on Iranian oil waived, some frozen assets released, Iran's foreign minister says after talks
Iran’s foreign minister said that sanctions on Iran’s oil had been waived and some of Iran’s assets frozen abroad had been released, in a post following the conclusion of talks in Switzerland.
In the post on X, Abbas Araghchi also said that “a major reconstruction and development plan for Iran has been launched.”
The post did not provide any details on the frozen assets or the reconstruction plan.
In a separate statement, the media committee representing the Iranian delegation said Iran and Qatar had signed a new memorandum of understanding on implementing the release of Tehran’s frozen assets, Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars reported.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the talks.
Previously, Hossein Ghorbanzadeh, an economy expert on the Iranian delegation, said a draft agreement for a temporary exemption from US sanctions on Iranian oil and oil derivatives had been completed, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
Aragchi said the “first real test” will be the Lebanon de-confliction cell that mediators Qatar and Pakistan said had been agreed to by the US and Iran, and which would help ensure the end of military operations in Lebanon.
Iran initially refused to continue talks after Trump's threats, foreign ministry says
We’ve just got the news from mediators that the initial round of talks between Iran and the US have concluded and went well. But Iran has also given further details on how discussions were nearly derailed earlier in the day, underscoring how fragile these talks continue to be.
According to state media Tasnim, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran initially refused to continue Sunday’s talks with the US after President Donald Trump’s threats were aired in a media interview.
“During the four-party meeting (mediated by Qatar and Pakistan), a threatening statement from the United States was published, which led Iran to announce that under such circumstances it was not willing to continue the four-way talks, Baghaei said.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the talks.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan later released a statement saying “encouraging progress was made by both sides.
Some context: Trump earlier said the US might “take over” the Strait of Hormuz and threatened the Iranian delegation in an interview with Fox News Sunday while the delegations were meeting in Switzerland.
Earlier, CNN reported that negotiations were stalled, but not over yet, after Trump’s threats, according to an Iranian source. Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also denounced Trump’s “desperation” in a post to X.
Mediators “Qatar and Pakistan tried to keep the talks going, and we told them it would not continue in a four-party format,” Baghaei said, according to Tasnim.
Still, Baghaei said “good progress” was made in the negotiations.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan say "encouraging progress" made in first round of US-Iran talks
The now-concluded talks between the US and Iran were conducted in a “positive and constructive atmosphere” and “encouraging progress” has been made, according to a joint statement from mediators Pakistan and Qatar.
The US and Iran have agreed to establish a High Level Committee to provide “political oversight on the mediation,” the statement said.
Chief negotiators will report regularly to the High Level Committee and lead working groups focused “on nuclear, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group to ensure the effective implementation of the (memorandum of understanding), and on other matters,” the statement said.
The committee has “agreed upon a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” the statement said, adding technical talks will continue for the rest of this week in Switzerland “on all issues.”
The US and Iran also agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” involving Lebanon and facilitated by Qatar and Pakistan, to ensure the end of military operations in Lebanon, the statement said.
Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon has continued despite the ceasefire agreement.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
US and Iran discussed groundwork for beginning negotiations on permanent truce, Iran's foreign ministry says
The US and Iranian delegations discussed the groundwork for negotiations to reach a final agreement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to state media Tasnim.
The delegations in Switzerland discussed the remaining clauses required to begin final negotiations, including releasing Iran’s frozen assets and obtaining sanctions waivers for the selling of Iranian oil Baghaei said, adding “good progress was made.”
The US and Iran also agreed that ships must be allowed to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan will soon release a document outlining the agreements reached during the talks, Baghaei added.
Negotiations between the delegations have concluded, technical work to continue, Iran's foreign ministry says
Negotiations between the US and Iranian delegations in Switzerland have concluded, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to Iranian state media Tasnim.
Technical teams will continue their work, Baghaei said, according to Tasnim.
Oil prices climb, stocks dip after Trump threats cloud US-Iran talks
Oil prices climbed on Sunday after President Donald Trump told Fox News that the US could resume bombing and “take over” the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy trade, if a deal is not reached with Iran.
The price of Brent crude rose 1.35% to $81.66 a barrel, and US crude rose 2.4%, to $77.66 a barrel.
Talks in Switzerland between the US and Iran stalled Sunday over the Strait of Hormuz, a ceasefire in Lebanon and Iran’s nuclear program. Negotiations will continue “through the night,” a US official said.
Trump floated the idea of the US collecting tolls if a deal is not reached. The current memorandum of agreement between Washington and Tehran includes a commitment to reopen the waterway without tolls for 60 days.
Trump’s threats come after Iran on Saturday said it would close the strait, accusing the US of a “clear breach of its commitments.”
If negotiations are successful and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz returns to pre-war levels, oil could “flood” the markets, Columbia University researcher Karen Young said Sunday on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”
Lower oil prices also mean lower prices at the pump for American drivers. An average gallon of gas cost Americans about $3.94 on Sunday, according to AAA. That’s down almost 14% from a month ago but remains almost a dollar more expensive than before the war.
Dow futures, meanwhile, were down 0.4%. S&P 500 futures were down 0.4%. Nasdaq futures were down 0.6%.
US says negotiations ongoing and expects delegation to "work through the night"
The US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland are ongoing and the US delegation anticipates “to work through the night,” a US official said Sunday.
Vice President JD Vance and the US delegation have been “engaged in constant meetings and negotiations,” a senior US diplomat engaged in the negotiations told reporters in Switzerland.
“The Iranians are still here and discussions are ongoing. We anticipate continuing to work through the night,” the diplomat said.
The official said discussion topics have included clarifying messaging from Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and building mechanisms to ensure the key waterway will remain open.
“We have also worked through deconfliction mechanisms and enforcing the ceasefire in southern Lebanon,” they said.
The official said there have been robust discussions on “all elements of the nuclear deal” as they work toward building a starting point for technical talks.
US-Iran talks stall in Switzerland: Catch up on where things stand
US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland have stalled Sunday, according to an Iranian source, after President Donald Trump threatened Tehran’s delegation in an interview and drew a sharp rebuke from Iran’s top negotiator.
As Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation into the Swiss mountain resort of Bürgenstock, he had voiced optimism about the potential to “transform” the country’s relationship with Iran.
But Trump’s remarks to Fox News — in which he said he had warned Iranian officials that they “won’t even make it back” to their country if they don’t make a deal — quickly upended the diplomatic mission.
Here’s where things stand:
- Iran’s response: Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf denounced the US president’s threat, saying it reflected “desperation” in Washington. An Iranian source in communication with the delegation told CNN that after meetings came to a halt, back-channel efforts were underway in hopes of making the diplomatic parties return.
- Lebanon remains an obstacle: Iran has insisted that any ceasefire in the region must include Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah despite a stated truce. A wave of Israeli strikes at the end of last week marked some of the worst bloodshed in the country since the start of the current conflict. A source told CNN earlier that an emergency session on Lebanon was added to the Swiss talks.
- On the ground: Israeli military raids killed at least seven people in Lebanon on Sunday, including a child and two elderly people, Lebanese state media reported. The Israel Defense Forces said it was “not familiar with any IDF activity” in the areas where the raids were reported. Also on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted his country’s military “will not withdraw from the security zone” in Lebanon.
CNN’s Becky Anderson, Thom Poole, Julia Benbrook, Dana Karni and Sana Noor Haq contributed to this reporting.
By threatening Tehran's delegation, Trump once again throws delicate talks into disarray
It’s not the first time that US President Donald Trump has angered the Iranians and thrown delicate talks into disarray.
His undiplomatic threats Sunday to resume blowing up Iran landed just after Vice President JD Vance said Trump had sent him on a “diplomatic” mission, to “turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran.”
According to a source familiar with talks inside the classy Bürgenstock Hotel in Switzerland, it was a “bad day for Tweets,” as the Iranians are seemingly withdrawing from the four-way talks with the US and mediators Pakistan and Qatar.
Not long after Trump’s threats, the head of their delegation, Mohammed Ghalibaf wrote on X, “they (US) had better watch their words carefully. Our armed forces are ready to give them a response in a different way.”
An Iranian source told CNN that the US-Iran negotiations are stalled, but not over yet, after the US president’s threats. Back-channel dialogues are ongoing to make the diplomatic parties return, the source added.
What was already high-stakes diplomacy, with Iran saying it is closing the Strait of Hormuz and demanding Trump enforce a ceasefire in Lebanon, has quickly escalated into implicit threats from both sides to return to war.
Trump said he would “hit them (Iran) very hard again” if they don’t rein in their proxy Hezbollah, whom he blames for escalating violence in Lebanon and threatened Vance’s Iranian counterparts they would never get home to their “f**king country” if they don’t open the Strait of Hormuz.
The last time Trump’s interventions derailed talks was in April, when he said Iran would give its highly enriched uranium to the US and never build a nuclear bomb. Iran denied his claims, and slow talks lost momentum.
Back then Pakistani mediators eventually managed to convince the Iranians to keep negotiating, and not for the first time they’ll be back at it again now.
Hezbollah leader rejects Israel’s continued military presence in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem argued that Israel should not continue operating in Lebanon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli troops would remain in the country “ as long as necessary.”
“Israel will not stay in Lebanon, even if it increases its crimes. And we will defend (ourselves),” Qassem said in an address on Al-Manar TV on Sunday.
The memorandum of understanding reached by Iran and the US outlines the end of hostilities in Lebanon, but fighting has continued as Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters clash.
Qassem underlined that the Iran-backed militant group would respond to actions it considers violations of the ceasefire.
“Any ceasefire under the heading of a comprehensive halt to the aggression - we are already committed to it. But we will not accept any violation. Any violation, we will confront. Any violation, we will fight. Any violation, we will deal with as we see fit,” Qassem said.
Israel to end public restrictions across country in sign of latest ceasefire
Israel is set to end public restrictions across the entire country on Sunday, including along the Israel-Lebanon border, in an important sign of the latest ceasefire.
Israel’s Home Front Command announced that the most recent restrictions, which limited gatherings and school activities in northern Israel, will expire at 6:00 a.m. local time on Monday. Since the start of the war with Iran more than three months ago, Israel had regularly imposed limitations on education and the size of public gatherings in communities close to Lebanon.
As of Monday morning, the entire country will have no restrictions affecting schools, work or gatherings.
Iran war cost the Pentagon $40B. US consumers have also paid a price
The Iran war has cost the Department of Defense about $40 billion, according to preliminary numbers in an upcoming analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The figure includes the cost of munitions, destroyed equipment and damage to bases, but does not incorporate operational costs that were already factored into the department’s more than $1 trillion fiscal year 2026 budget, Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at CSIS, told CNN.
While the Defense Department bore the brunt of the expenses, the conflict cost other agencies, such as Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, $1 billion, according to CSIS’ preliminary numbers.
Meanwhile, for consumers: Gas prices rose from an average of less than $3 a gallon around the country to well over $4 during much of the war.
According to an energy cost tracker from Brown University, American households have spent more than $253 more than what they would have paid if there was no war.
Oil hasn’t been coming out of the Middle East for nearly four months. All told, the world lost 1.15 billion barrels of oil supply during the war, according to Kpler.
And annual inflation was over 4% for the first time in three years, driven by energy prices, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Prices are now rising faster than the average American paycheck grew over the past year. In other words: Inflation ate your pay raise in April and May, the first time that had happened since 2023.
US-Iran negotiations are stalled, but not over yet, Iranian source says
US-Iran negotiations are stalled, but not over yet, after President Donald Trump’s threats on Sunday, an Iranian source in communication with the delegation in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, told CNN.
Back-channel dialogues are ongoing to make the diplomatic parties return, the source added.
Earlier, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, denounced the “desperation” of the US after Trump threatened the Iranian delegation negotiating in Switzerland today and said the US might “take over” the Strait of Hormuz if it can’t reach a deal with Iran.
Iranian negotiator says draft for temporary oil sanctions relief is finalized
A member of Iran’s delegation to talks in Switzerland says a draft agreement for a temporary exemption from US sanctions on Iranian oil and oil derivatives has been completed, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
Hossein Ghorbanzadeh, an economy expert on the Iranian delegation, said the sanctions exemption will soon move toward implementation.
Ghorbanzadeh said the negotiations were primarily focused on implementing Clause 13 of a memorandum and laying the groundwork for discussions on other provisions of the agreement.
According to Ghorbanzadeh, that groundwork centers on five main points, “ending the war on all fronts, lifting the siege, reopening the strait, temporary exemption from sanctions for oil and its derivatives, and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.”
Ghorbanzadeh added that other provisions of the memorandum would not move into the implementation phase until the issue of ending the war in Lebanon is resolved.
Where gas prices stand during the latest back-and-forth over the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a key point in today’s US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
On Saturday, Iran said it would close the vital waterway in response the latest Israeli strikes in Lebanon. The US military has denied Tehran’s claim to control the strait, and President Donald Trump is now threatening to “take over” the key shipping lane if a deal with Tehran is not reached.
The flare-up in tensions around the strait comes after an initial US-Iran agreement last week gave global energy markets some hope for a return to normalcy.
Where things stand for consumers: Oil prices came down last week from their war-time highs of above $100 a barrel, and that’s helping lower costs at the pump for Americans.
On Friday, Brent crude, the global benchmark, settled around $80 a barrel, while US crude closed at $77.54 a barrel.
Lower oil prices have corresponded with cheaper gas for US consumers. An average gallon of gas cost Americans about $3.94 on Sunday, according to AAA. That’s down almost 14% from a month ago but remains almost a dollar more expensive than before the war.
If diplomatic efforts succeed and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is able to return to pre-war levels, a “flood” of oil could enter the markets and continue to lower costs, said Karen Young, a researcher at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.
But it remains to be seen whether a lasting peace deal can be reached amid the latest war of words.
Iranian negotiator criticizes US "desperation" after Trump's threat
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, denounced the “desperation” of the United States after President Donald Trump threatened the Iranian delegation negotiating in Switzerland today and said the US might “take over” the Strait of Hormuz if it can’t reach a deal with Iran.
Ghalibaf also warned that Iran’s military is ready to respond if needed.
“We don’t take the Americans’ threats seriously at all,” he continued. “They had better watch their words carefully. Our armed forces are ready to give them a response in a different way. No matter how much they talk, it is we who take action.”
Sen. Graham echoes Trump's threat to "take over" Strait of Hormuz
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a prominent Iran hawk, on Sunday echoed President Donald Trump’s threat to “take over” the Strait of Hormuz if diplomatic efforts with the Iranians fail.
Graham, a close Trump ally, said he spent more than four hours with the president on Friday, in the wake of a preliminary US-Iran agreement that the administration hopes will open up further negotiations to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
“If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz over by force. The United States will control the Strait of Hormuz, will charge a fee for all those who go through to pay for the operation,” Graham told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the US might “take over” the strategically critical strait and “collect tolls” if it can’t reach a deal with Iran.
Graham also expressed a similar threat that the US would resume bombing in Iran if diplomacy fails: “If Iran contests control of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States, we will obliterate them.”
“If Iran continues to attack Israel and Lebanon, the new policy will be we’ll hit Iran,” he warned.
