US, Iran to Resume Talks Following Delay and Deadly Strikes

A new round of negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East conflict was scheduled to begin on Sunday, with Iranian officials arriving in Switzerland ahead of US Vice President JD Vance. The talks come as Tehran announced another closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Before departing for Europe, Vance said he hoped the discussions would advance efforts on both Iran’s nuclear programme and a ceasefire in Lebanon, describing them as the two key issues on the agenda.

The talks were originally due to take place on Friday but were postponed after Israel launched deadly strikes in Lebanon following the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in combat.

Although Washington later announced a renewed ceasefire in Lebanon as part of its preliminary agreement with Iran, clashes resumed on Saturday between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.

Accusing the United States of failing to uphold its commitments and citing what it called Israel’s continued breaches of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, Iran’s central military command declared that the Strait of Hormuz would once again be closed to maritime traffic.

The strategic waterway, a crucial route for global oil and gas exports, had remained largely blocked during the conflict, disrupting international energy markets. Iran had agreed to reopen the strait under a preliminary accord signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, allowing shipping activity to gradually recover.

Following Tehran’s announcement, US Central Command said navigation through the international waterway remained secure and that American forces were maintaining a vigilant presence in the area.

Trump later warned that the United States could impose its own transit charges in the Strait of Hormuz if negotiators failed to reach a final agreement. In a post on Truth Social, he said any tolls would be imposed only “by and for the United States of America”.

Swiss Talks

An Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland late Saturday, according to Iranian state media and the Swiss foreign ministry. The delegation includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran would insist on the implementation of commitments made by the other side under the preliminary agreement, warning that failure to do so could jeopardise the entire understanding.

Vance left Washington later on Saturday, noting that he expected to remain in Switzerland for only one or two days.

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already in the country, handling technical aspects of the negotiations. Speaking to Fox News, Vance said they had reported that discussions were progressing positively.

Pakistan, serving as a mediator alongside Qatar, said technical-level talks involving US and Iranian representatives would take place on Sunday in Burgenstock, Switzerland.

The negotiations are expected to launch a two-month process aimed at resolving outstanding issues, particularly those related to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Lebanon Ceasefire Under Strain

Meanwhile, tensions remained high in southern Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged accusations over continued hostilities.

The Israeli military said one soldier had been killed in combat, bringing the number of Israeli fatalities since the US-Iran agreement to five.

An Israeli army official later said troops had been instructed by political leaders to observe the ceasefire and were no longer conducting offensive operations, although forces would continue to act defensively within a designated security zone.

Earlier, Israeli officials accused Hezbollah of firing more than 50 projectiles at Israeli troops overnight, prompting further military action.

Hezbollah, however, accused Israel of attempting to advance towards the Ali Taher hills near Nabatieh under the cover of the ceasefire and said its fighters responded accordingly.

Lebanese state media reported Israeli air strikes on around 20 locations, while authorities said more than 30 people had been killed. Lebanon’s health ministry said the total death toll from the conflict had exceeded 4,000.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah insisted the group retained the right to respond to Israeli attacks, while Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, argued that Hezbollah was responsible for violating the ceasefire and that Israel was acting in self-defence.

Hezbollah rejected those claims and said Israel bore full responsibility for the renewed violence.

Fadi Zayat, a resident displaced from the southern town of Tayr Debba, said fear continued to dominate daily life.

“We returned to the village a few days ago, but our bags are ready to flee again,” he said.

Hezbollah became directly involved in the broader regional conflict in March after launching rockets into Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in joint US-Israeli strikes.

A previous ceasefire agreement intended to take effect in April failed to hold, with both sides repeatedly accusing each other of violations to justify continued military operations.