US, Iranian Officials Meet in Switzerland for Peace Talks – The Epoch Times

U.S. Vice President JD Vance makes an opening statement at the start of a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar at the Lake Lucerne Summit, aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict at the Buergenstock Resort, Lake Lucerne, near Stansstad, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance participated on June 21 in quadrilateral meetings with Pakistan, Qatar, and Iran to advance the peace agreement with Iran.

The negotiations are taking place on June 21 at the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

During a break, Vance said the negotiations are covering a host of issues that are important not only to Americans, but also to the world.

“Can we turn over a new leaf?” Vance asked on June 21 during a news conference. “Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently? Or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference?”

Vance was joined by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir also in attendance.

Vance called the June 21 negotiations “a historic meeting” and said the parties have made “great progress.” He said he sees a future in which everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity for everyone.

Before his departure, Vance said: “I’m looking forward to starting the technical talks with the Iranians, the Pakistanis, and the Qataris. We’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue—those are the two big things that I think we’re going to be focused on.”

Vance described Lebanon as a “chicken and egg” problem, in which one side attacks and the other side responds. He said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is managing what is going on in Lebanon.

“Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there,” Vance said. “Things have calmed down a little bit. It is gonna be something that we are gonna have to continue to manage to ensure that Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That’s one of the goals, is to make the whole region safe and secure.”

Before the peace talks began, Iranian authorities said they closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social and said Iran had to do better with Lebanon.

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump wrote. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!”

Iran’s state-run media responded on June 21 to Trump’s post on Truth Social.

“The Iranian delegation has raised its objections to the American side and is currently assessing the conditions to give a proper response to Trump’s verbal threats,” reported PressTV, the Iranian state-owned news organization owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

PressTV reported that the Iranian delegation was weighing its next steps.

On June 20, Trump threatened to impose a toll on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz if a long-term peace deal is not reached in the next two months.

“There will be no tolls in the Hormuz Strait for 60 days during the Cease Fire Period, and there will be no tolls after the 60 day period has expired, unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important transit points for oil and natural gas.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News on June 21 that “traffic is flowing through the Straits quite nicely.”

Wright said 67 ships went through the Strait of Hormuz on June 20 and 55 went through on June 19. He said that that was about the same level of traffic as before the conflict with Iran began.

He said that Iran has still not removed mines from the central shipping channel but that the United States opened another channel farther south and that the U.S. military has been escorting ships through that path.

The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the United States was $3.94 as of June 21, according to the American Automobile Association. That was 14 cents lower than a week ago.

Mike Waltz, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” that all Americans want lower gas prices.

“Just a few months ago … analysts were saying oil would be upwards of $150 to $200 a barrel and it is not, it is now under $80,” Waltz said. “Of course, everyone wants cheaper energy. But what President Trump is doing is striking that balance with also ensuring that a genocidal regime that none of us trust can never have a nuclear weapon. And that process is underway right now as we speak.”

The talks in Switzerland mark the highest-level direct engagement between the United States and Iran since tensions escalated following military exchanges earlier this year.

Officials from both countries have said the negotiations are focused on reducing the risk of further conflict while exploring potential long-term diplomatic arrangements.

“I must, at this point in time, with fullest sincerity at my domain, thank President Donald Trump for his visionary and very dynamic leadership, which has resulted in this meeting here today,” Sharif said on June 21. “I think here we are going to have wonderful discussions which will lead to, hopefully, very productive results in times to come.”

Trump’s post on Truth Social came after four Israeli soldiers were killed on June 19 while uprooting underground Hezbollah terrorist group weapons caches and fighting positions.

Israeli forces responded with dozens of retaliatory strikes throughout southern Lebanon.

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said on June 20 that it was the Hezbollah terrorist group that broke the ceasefire.

“Terrorists lie,” Leiter wrote on X. “Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. Hezbollah lies. Iran is using its proxy to extract concessions. That is the modus operandi of the murderous regime in Tehran.”

The media relations arm of Hezbollah blamed the violence on Israel, saying that the country continues to maintain a military force within Lebanese territory.

The U.S.–Iran conflict, which has been named Operation Epic Fury, began on Feb. 28. The Pentagon had been producing plans for an attack on Iran since 1980.