Geneva, June 21, 2026
US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for talks with Iran, according to media reports.
Earlier while speaking to reporters before boarding his aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Vance said “I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re to be focused on. I’m sure the Iranians are going to have issues they’d like to discuss as well.”
The Switzerland talks are expected to take place near Lucerne and come after a delayed start to the diplomatic process. According to Vance, technical negotiators from multiple parties were already on the ground ahead of the meetings.
“Look, we’ll have a couple days of talks to try to get this thing kicked off the right way. There’s a lot to discuss, but we’re going to get through it all,” he said.
The Vice President indicated that one of his primary objectives would be establishing the framework for future negotiations.
“I think number one, just getting things set up in the right way, and getting the actual structure and negotiation in place,” he said. “I can only be there for a day or two.”
Questions about continuing clashes in Lebanon featured prominently during the exchange with reporters. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has repeatedly threatened diplomatic momentum in recent weeks and remains a major concern for Washington as it seeks broader regional stability.
Vance sought to project cautious optimism.
“Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit,” he said.
He credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the broader diplomatic team with managing the situation while acknowledging the difficulty of maintaining a ceasefire.
“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that you know Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That’s fundamentally the goal of this, to make the whole region safe and secure,” Vance said.
The talks in Switzerland are expected to focus on technical and political issues related to the US-Iran diplomatic track, with Lebanon’s ceasefire situation emerging as a parallel challenge. Vance said both matters would be central to the discussions.
Meanwhile, an Iranian delegation landed in Switzerland late Saturday.
“We welcome the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Switzerland,” the Swiss foreign ministry said on X, adding that the Iranian delegation is on its way to the Burgenstock resort as part of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the United States and Iran.(Agency)
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