Vice President JD Vance landed in Switzerland early Sunday for talks with Iranian officials, joining Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in negotiations.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.They are set to meet a senior Iranian delegation to discuss the technical details of a memorandum of understanding signed last week by President Donald Trump in Paris, which has already been tested by fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.The Iranians are set to emphasize their “key and primary demand” of ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and “the failure to implement it” will be discussed with mediators, Iranian state TV reported.Iran said Saturday that it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, alleging ceasefire violations by Israel.
The U.S.military has denied Iran’s claim to control the strait.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy warned ships not to approach the waterway, which Iran had committed to reopening under the interim peace deal.Trump said on Truth Social Saturday, amid uncertainty over whether the waterway is actually open, that there would be “NO TOLLS” on the strait during or after the current 60-day ceasefire, “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America”.Trump added that the U.S.
could charge tolls for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, referring to the US.as the “Guardian Angel” of the Middle East.But Iran, through various officials and channels, has said that the failure to implement the first clause of the MOU means there is no agreement in effect.A violation of Article 1, which specified that fighting must end on all fronts, including Lebanon, “calls the entire agreement into question,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei said Saturday, warning that unless the ...