Current sectionMiddle East NewsIran NewsAs JD Vance is set to arrive for talks in Switzerland, Iran is sending mixed messages and seeks to consolidate its influence in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israel's continued military presence across southern Lebanon makes an effective cessation of hostilities impossibleShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeLiza Rozovsky04:56 AM • June 21 2026 IDTOn Saturday afternoon, U.S. Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about the talks with Iran.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Iran - U.S.LebanonIsrael - IranStrait of HormuzCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesU.S.-Iran DealIsrael ElectionsGaza Cease-fireJD VancePayoneerHaQuizHaaretz PodcastWill Israel's Presence in Lebanon Make a U.S-Iran Deal Impossible?How the Iranian Guards Business Empire Will Win Big if U.S. Sanctions Are LiftedReform Jews Praise Netanyahu Backtrack on Far-right Aide for NY Consul General20 Protesters Arrested at Iranian Opposition Rally in ParisIDF Names Three Israeli Soldiers Killed in Separate Southern Lebanon IncidentsRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHumiliated by Trump on the Iran Front, Netanyahu May Set the Middle East AblazeIsrael Is Conducting a Systematic Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank'Once-in-a-lifetime Discovery': 1,700-year-old Roman Busts Found in IsraelNetanyahu's Mouthpieces Turn on Trump, Revealing a Deeper Israeli IngratitudeTrump and Netanyahu Hurtling Toward a Rupture That Could Shock U.S.-Israel TiesIsrael Is Bleeding Support in U.S. and Pouring Tens of Millions to Change That