US, Iran nuclear talks resume in Switzerland Sunday
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- Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Switzerland, where the first round of nuclear talks with Iran is expected Sunday, with VP Vance set to travel Saturday to join the negotiations
- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Switzerland on Saturday; Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf is also expected to attend, per US officials
- Iran's armed forces announced they are closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to alleged US and Israeli ceasefire violations, and the Iranian delegation left Tehran shortly after the announcement
- Israel-Hezbollah fighting resumed Saturday morning — Hezbollah fired roughly 50 projectiles at Israeli soldiers, and Israel responded with dozens of strikes killing at least 16 people, a day after a renewed ceasefire was announced
- The original Friday talks were postponed due to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict; Araghchi told mediators the Lebanon ceasefire is 'make or break' for the US-Iran negotiations
- Pakistan's foreign ministry said US and Iranian representatives will meet at Burgenstock, Switzerland, with Qatari and Pakistani mediators; Qatari PM Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani arrived Friday
Why it matters: Iran's decision to close the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for global oil shipments — while sending a delegation to negotiate shows Tehran is coupling diplomatic engagement with military-economic pressure, and the simultaneous collapse of the Lebanon ceasefire puts the entire US-Iran memorandum of understanding at risk, as Iran has warned that if 'part of the other side's commitments is not implemented, the entire understanding will be jeopardized.'
