US-Iran talks open in Switzerland as Hormuz tensions test interim deal

US and Iranian negotiators have reached Switzerland to flesh out their interim deal amid a fresh row over the Strait of Hormuz. The talks now hinge on progress over Iran's nuclear programme and a ceasefire in Lebanon.

In Short

• Pakistan and Qatar are mediating technical discussions scheduled to begin Sunday
• Iran linked Hormuz restrictions to Israel halting operations and ceasefire terms
• Trump threatened American tolls despite military saying shipping traffic still continued

US and Iranian negotiators headed to Switzerland on Saturday for talks on adding key details to their interim agreement aimed at halting the war, even as fresh tensions threatened to complicate the process. Hours earlier, Tehran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel's attacks in Lebanon and warned that little might be achieved if the fighting did not stop.

The announcements pointed to a difficult start to the technical-level talks, which key mediator Pakistan said will begin on Sunday with Qatari mediators also taking part. The interim deal signed earlier this week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear agreement, while also seeking to stop fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Trump responded to Iran's move with a fresh threat to impose American tolls in the crucial waterway if a final deal with Iran is not reached in 60 days, saying the money would be for "services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East". The agreement currently calls for toll-free travel for 60 days.

US Vice President J D Vance left for Switzerland on Saturday evening, as Iranian state TV posted a video showing Iran's negotiators arriving there. The Iranian team is led by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as well as central bank and oil officials. The deal also calls for billions of dollars of Iran's assets to be unfrozen.

Talks had been due to start on Friday, but Iran cancelled plans to attend because of escalating fighting in Lebanon. According to US and regional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, negotiators for the US and Qatar, with help from Iran, worked out an agreement between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group to reduce hostilities.

Vance told reporters he would be in Switzerland "for a day or two" and said he was optimistic about making progress in talks on Iran's nuclear programme and on a ceasefire in southern Lebanon. He had earlier confirmed that top negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already in Switzerland.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, however, told state TV that negotiations towards a final agreement would begin once key commitments are upheld. If they are not, he said, "the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardised".

The Strait of Hormuz quickly emerged as a new flashpoint. Iran's joint military command said the strait had been closed because of the US' "clear breach of its commitments" by failing to end the war. The US rejected that claim. "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic continues to flow, and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case," Capt Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said.

The military said 55 merchant ships transited the strait on Saturday carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil. The global economy braced for more uncertainty. Ships had resumed transiting after the interim US-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week. Under that deal, the US lifted its blockade of Iran's ports and now allows Tehran to sell its oil freely, terms that have raised questions among some in the US Congress.

Earlier on Saturday, as mediators tried to get the parties to Switzerland, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press that Iran had informed the group it would not reopen the strait until Israel publicly announced that it would comply with a "comprehensive ceasefire" in Lebanon and end military operations there. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said Hezbollah would commit to a ceasefire if Israel did.

Later, an Israeli military official, also speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the military had received "updated directives from the political echelon to cease fire". The official said the military was operating in a defensive manner in Lebanon, including retaining the right to respond to Hezbollah attacks. The official also said five Israeli soldiers had been killed in the past 48 hours in southern Lebanon.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the US-Iran deal. Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children. Lebanon's National News Agency said seven people were trapped under rubble after strikes hit the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages.

An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. Israel's army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants. Lebanon's health ministry later announced that the death toll in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war had crossed 4,000.

Hezbollah and Israel went to war two days after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at northern Israel and Israel seizing large parts of southern Lebanon. A new round of US-backed talks between the Lebanese government and Israel is expected in Washington next week. As negotiators gathered in Switzerland, the interim US-Iran deal remained tied to progress on both the nuclear issue and efforts to stop the fighting in Lebanon.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends