Vice President JD Vance said Saturday afternoon the “nuclear issue” and renewed ceasefire between Israel and Iranian proxy terrorist organization Hezbollah are the two primary subjects of negotiation he will “be focused on” during a first round of negotiations between the United States and Iran on Sunday in Switzerland.
Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of his flight that “we’re going to hopefully make progress” on the two points of contention before noting “I’m sure the Iranians are going to have issues they’d like to discuss as well.”
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The vice president said earlier on Saturday that the timing of the beginning of negotiations was “in flux” after fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah early Saturday morning despite a ceasefire having been signed Friday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later moved to close the Strait of Hormuz after saying the U.S. violated its “obligations in implementing the ceasefire.”
“Marco and the entire team have been actively managing what’s going on in Lebanon,” Vance said. “Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit.”
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as the prime ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, had already arrived in Switzerland when Vance boarded his flight.
He added there will likely be a “couple days of talks” though he himself can only be there “for a day or two.”
Vance also referenced the sporadic fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, saying the Trump administration is going to have to continue to manage tensions.
VANCE SAYS US-IRAN TALKS WILL START SUNDAY IN SWITZERLAND BUT SITUATION IS ‘IN FLUX’
“The big problem is that somebody will shoot and then somebody will respond, and you have this kind of chicken and egg problem where you’ve just got to stop the shooting for long enough to get the ceasefire to keep hold, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland around the same time Vance left the U.S.
