Updated June 22, 2026 at 7:36 AM PDT
The first round of high-level negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded early Monday in Switzerland with both sides agreeing to "a road map" to reach a final deal within 60 days and establish a communication line "to avoid incidents" in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement by mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
The statement added that "encouraging progress" had been made and announced an "immediate commencement of technical talks." It was unclear who would lead the technical talks.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Vice President JD Vance said that negotiators had made "a lot of good progress" on ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz stays open and on setting up a "coordination mechanism" on demining it. He also said that Tehran agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country, which, he said, is "a major milestone for the American people and the first step in permanently denuclearising or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran."
On Iran's nuclear program, one of the key issues in these talks, a U.S. diplomat who was not authorized to speak publicly, said there were "robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear deal." The joint statement by Qatar and Pakistan said the U.S. and Iran agreed to establish a committee that will focus on issues such as nuclear monitoring and sanctions.
"We plan to continue working through each of these issues and using today's work as a starting point for ongoing technical talks going forward," the U.S. diplomat said.
Negotiators also agreed on a framework to end the military operations in Lebanon, according to the statement. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said "major progress" had been made to end the war in Lebanon. He also added that "oil and petrol exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran."
Araghchi called the creation of "a de-confliction cell," the framework meant to end the fighting in Lebanon, the "1st real test" of the negotiating process.
Sunday's discussions were strained as President Trump threatened further attacks on Iran as Vance sat for negotiations with Iranian officials in Switzerland.
"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
Iran's lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on X that Iran's armed forces are prepared to respond to threats.
A day earlier, Iran's military announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Iran said the U.S. failure to rein in Israel violated the terms of last week's tentative agreement, which specifies that all fighting in Lebanon must end.
Also on Sunday, Vance, who arrived in Switzerland in the early morning, met with representatives from Pakistan who have been brokering the talks — including with the country's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
An Iranian team, mediators from Qatar, and chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi are also attending the meetings.
The first round of talks were focused on a memorandum of understanding that was signed by both the U.S. and Iran last week, which is already coming under intense strain. While Iran on Saturday said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command has said shipping through the strait was proceeding normally.
Also under discussion is Iran's nuclear program, another controversial topic. On Sunday morning, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: "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." Iran has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful.
Despite the announcement of the ceasefire on Friday, Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire throughout Saturday, further pressuring negotiations.
Vance said the talks were going well, telling reporters on Sunday: "We've already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we'll make additional progress in the hours to come."
Vance said there has been "great progress" in the last couple of days and "these things are always a little bit messy," when asked if he had a message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"There, of course, are going to be sometimes disagreements about precisely how to get there, but 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," Vance said.
The vice president also said the U.S. has "done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world."
According to a senior U.S. diplomat engaged in the talks, who was not authorized to share details publicly, the negotiation topics included "clarifying" Iran's messaging around the Strait of Hormuz and "enforcing" the ceasefire in southern Lebanon. Other topics covered were "deconfliction mechanisms" for the strait and Lebanon, the diplomat said.
At least 16 people, including civilians, were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. Israel said the strikes were a response to Hezbollah firing projectiles at its forces overnight on Saturday. Hezbollah said it fired in response to Israel moving toward Lebanese territory.
On Sunday, however, the interim head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon told NPR that for the first time since the war between Israel and Hezbollah started on March 2, the peacekeeping force has recorded no attacks from either side.
Neither Israel or Lebanon have signed the memorandum of understanding, but the agreement calls for respect of Lebanese sovereignty, a provision Iran says the U.S. must enforce. It also calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon.
Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to keep a "security zone" in southern Lebanon under Israeli military control.
"We do everything in our power to protect our people. We don't have a war with Lebanon. We have a war with Hezbollah, who terrorizes Lebanon and seeks our destruction," Netanyahu said at a policy summit in Jerusalem on Sunday. "And when that proxy of Iran is no longer a threat, when it's dismantled, when it's disarmed, yes, we'll have peace with Lebanon. And I look forward to signing it."
NPR's Jane Arraf and Rob Schmitz contributed to this report.
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