US and Iran Head to Switzerland for Peace Talks as Strait of Hormuz Dispute Heats Up

Leaders from the United States and Iran traveled to Switzerland on Sunday to hold peace talks aimed at ending a war that has lasted nearly four months. The two countries had already agreed to a 60-day ceasefire, meaning they promised to stop fighting while trying to work out a deal. However, a new dispute broke out over the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway in the Middle East that is very important for shipping oil and gas around the world. Iran's military said it had closed the strait, but U.S. officials said ships were still moving through it without trouble.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance flew to Switzerland to lead the American team at the talks. He told reporters before boarding his plane that the meetings would likely last a couple of days. He said he had seen no proof that the Strait of Hormuz was actually closed and felt confident the ceasefire would hold. 'I think we're going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue,' Vance said.

Iran sent a large team to Switzerland as well, led by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and senior officials from Iran's security, banking, and oil departments also attended. The U.S. team included envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also President Trump's son-in-law. Both sides said they were serious about moving forward with a peace agreement.

The peace talks were made possible by a temporary deal that Pakistan helped put together. U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the 14-point agreement last Wednesday. It set up the 60-day ceasefire and listed areas where the two countries agreed to work together. However, Iran's side said the U.S. had already failed to follow through on the deal's very first point.

One big problem was the situation in Lebanon. The ceasefire deal required that fighting stop on all fronts, including in Lebanon. But despite a truce being announced, Israeli forces and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah kept attacking each other. Lebanon's Civil Defence reported that 20 people were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday, just hours after the truce was supposed to begin.

Iran's military, known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, said it declared the Strait of Hormuz closed because of what it called Israeli 'crimes' in Lebanon. The IRGC warned that ships could be at risk if they came near the strait. But the U.S. military reported that 55 merchant ships traveled through the strait on Saturday, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil. The U.S. said its forces would make sure commercial shipping kept moving.

President Trump shared his own message on social media about the Strait of Hormuz. He wrote that no shipping toll would be charged for using the strait during or after the ceasefire — unless the peace talks failed. If a final deal was never reached, Trump said the U.S. might charge a fee for protecting ships in the region. He described America's role as that of a 'Guardian Angel' to Middle Eastern countries.

The situation in Lebanon stayed very tense over the weekend. Israel said it was only responding to Hezbollah attacks, while Hezbollah said it would not give Israel 'freedom of movement' in southern Lebanon. Israel said it was not part of the U.S.-Iran deal and planned to keep its forces in the Lebanese territory it controlled. The Israeli military stated it was committed to the ceasefire but would act against any threat.

A new poll from Israel's Hebrew University showed that most Israelis were unhappy with their country's military results. About 92% believed Iran got more out of the joint military campaign than Israel did, and nearly 90% said the war's goals were not met. More than 70% said they did not believe Prime Minister Netanyahu's claims of major achievements. The poll suggested many Israelis had serious doubts about how the conflict had gone.

Lebanon's health ministry said 4,057 people had been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medics, women, and children. Officials did not say how many of those killed were fighters. On the Israeli side, at least 32 soldiers and four civilians were reported killed in fighting with Hezbollah. Even as diplomats worked toward peace in Switzerland, both sides on the ground showed they were far from putting down their weapons.