New Delhi: US-Iran talks on a permanent ceasefire were set to kick off Sunday with top officials including US Vice President JD Vance converging in Switzerland, even after Iran issued a renewed order to close the Strait of Hormuz.

The two adversaries are engaging after separate clashes in southern Lebanon between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters delayed the start of talks. They’re a few days into a 60-day window for negotiations after reaching a memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump signed on Wednesday during a visit to Paris, though the deal allows for an extension.While the hard-won interim deal signaled an end to hostilities, it’s only the beginning of wrangling over the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear capabilities. In another sign of potential risk, the fighting between Israel — which isn’t a party to the deal — and Hezbollah prompted Tehran to claim a ceasefire violation and flex its leverage over the Hormuz chokepoint.

Vance arrived in Switzerland at about 6 a.m. local time Sunday. He had left Washington shortly after Pakistan said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and military chief Asim Munir would attend the meeting in Burgenstock, bringing two key mediators to the table.“I can only be there for a day or two,” Vance told reporters before departing. “I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue.”Iran’s delegation includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, state-run IRIB News reported.Vance said the goal is to get “the actual structure of negotiation in place,” building on technical discussions in Switzerland involving Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s two global negotiators.On Friday, President Donald Trump said the two sides have time to make a deal while issuing a veiled threat to Iran.“Otherwise, we will do things that won’t make them happy, but I don’t think it’s going to get to that,” he said. “I think it’s going to be very good.”President Donald Trump delivers remarks after touring the newest aircraft in the presidential fleet at Andrews Air Force Base at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 19, 2026. Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images | Source: Bloomberg