U.S., Iranian Negotiators Meet for a Day of Talks To Break Logjam on Peace Deal, and It Doesn’t End Well

Iranian officials say they will continue to discuss a peace deal with America after negotiators walked out of talks with Vice President Vance in Switzerland on Sunday, claiming they were insulted by an “offensive” remark by President Trump on his Truth Social social media platform. The walkout, caught on camera halted talks that had proceeded past their expected end time for the single day of negotiation. Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reported that the delegation wanted an apology for the post by the president, who said Iran would be hit hard again if it failed to stop causing trouble in Lebanon through its proxy, Hezbollah. The post came while negotiators were already meeting. The tantrum in the afternoon came after a full day of negotiating that had begun with Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and his top negotiator, Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, meeting with Vice President Vance at Bürgenstock Resort near Lucerne, before sitting down separately with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Qatari mediators were also going back and forth as the head of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, met on the sidelines with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.The talks were the culmination of a memorandum of understanding underlying a peace plan that aims to end Iran’s nuclear program, stop Israeli and Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon, and ensure open passage of goods through the Strait of Hormuz.After the Iranians departed talks, Mr. Araghchi said that negotiations would continue. In the statement, he praised the Pakistani and Qatari mediators for helping to end “the Lebanon war.” “Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran. 1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell,” he wrote on X.A statement issued by the mediators referred to the “deconfliction cell” as a united effort by the four parties to “ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon as per” the memorandum of understanding.The statement said little about elements outlined in the memorandum that address Iran halting its uranium enrichment — essential for making a bomb, but not for generating electricity. The statement did mention a “High Level Committee” to be consulted regarding “nuclear, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group,” which the parties would consult to avoid miscommunication. Speaking after morning meetings, Vice President Vance, was joined by Mr. Trump’s interlocuters Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, said the United States has “done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon” than any other nation over the past few months.“What today really represents is the beginning of a technical negotiation… [that’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 and get to a better tomorrow,” he said.Also left out of post-meeting readouts was discussion about passage through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the world’s oil originates and which has been held hostage in the negotiations over Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon.Iran said it closed the strait on Saturday in response to Israeli actions in the south. Israel, which is not privy to the talks in Lebanon, says it will stay in Lebanon for as long as it takes to remove the threat from Hezbollah. During the meetings, defense minister Israel Katz, who was not present, said that the nation has “no intention of withdrawing” from the security zone in Lebanon’s southern region where it operates from the Beaufort Castle, a medieval strategic stronghold that Mr. Katz described as “an integral part of the security zone in Lebanon and essential for the defense of the Galilee settlements and IDF forces.”Earlier in the day, Israel confirmed that it had killed two militants last week who were responsible for transferring a half billion dollars to Hamas fighters in Gaza through Turkey. Over several days, five Israeli soldiers and 97 Hezbollah fighters, as well as eight Lebanese women and four children were reported killed in fighting. Nonetheless, on Sunday, Lebanese civilians began returning to the area where Israeli military officials said they would act in a defensive capacity only while talks are ongoing.Iran has said it will keep the strait closed for as long as Israel ignores the ceasefire requirement in the memorandum of understanding. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said fighting in Lebanon would be the key topic in meetings as he labeled the United States “unable or unwilling” to control Israel over its border security.Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, also said Sunday that Iran has a right to its nuclear program. “What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it,” Mr. Pezeshkian said, according to state media.Despite Iranian officials claiming it had closed the strait on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said traffic was flowing. It had monitored the movement of 17 million barrels of oil, including Iranian shipments that previously had been barred by U.S. sanctions.As passage through the strait is reportedly on-again, off-again, Mr. Trump said that he will not impose tolls on ships transiting through the waterway for 60 days during discussions but would be willing to impose a toll “should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs.”With Iranian oil flowing and Iran set to receive billions of dollars in assets that are currently frozen, and minus an agreement on nuclear enrichment or Hezbollah disarmament, many observers are questioning what was the point of the February 28 attacks that launched the four-month standoff.“Tough on allies, soft on the Islamic regime in Iran. They scold Israel, fight with NATO, mock Europe, and lecture Ukraine, then sit down with the mullahs and ask how many more billions of dollars from American taxpayers they would like. It’s like getting robbed and then asking the thief whether he’d prefer cash or a wire transfer,” a political analyst from the United Arab Emirates, Amjad Taha, said on X, speaking of Trump administration movements.“At this point, either Tehran has performed magic on them, or they genuinely think the regime will change if they keep being nice to it—which is even worse than magic. For 47 years, the world and the Iranian people tried being nice to the regime and got Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and terrorism in the West,” he continued. Mr. Taha later pointed to another snub during the day, when Iranian negotiators arrived and declined to shake hands with Mr. Vance, who was awaiting their late arrival.“The disastrous US-Iran MOU shows how frantic Trump is to escape the economic pain of higher gasoline prices and the attendant domestic political fallout from his decision to attack Iran without proper preparation,” said a former national security advisor to Mr. Trump, Ambassador John Bolton, whose public falling out with the president was followed by a tell-all book and then a grand jury indictment on multiple charges of transmitting and retaining classified national defense information.Correction: 17 million barrels of oil recently moved through the Strait of Hormuz. An earlier version misstated the quantity.

U.S., Iranian Negotiators Meet for a Day of Talks To Break Logjam on Peace Deal, and It Doesn’t End Well

U.S., Iranian Negotiators Meet for a Day of Talks To Break Logjam on Peace Deal, and It Doesn’t End Well

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