US-Iran Nuclear Talks Open in Switzerland as Hormuz Stays Shut

US Vice President JD Vance flew to the Bürgenstock mountain resort in Switzerland on Sunday to formally open technical-level talks with Iran's delegation, with Qatar and Pakistan serving as mediators. The meeting builds on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed the previous week, which halted direct US-Israeli military operations against Iran. The two sides have a 60-day window to negotiate harder questions, including the future of Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief, and the status of Lebanon.

The talks opened under significant pressure. Iran's joint military command announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again, citing Israel's continued strikes in Lebanon and what Tehran called US bad faith. Iranian officials told state media the strait would remain shut until a Lebanese ceasefire held and oil export waivers were issued. The closure directly affects roughly 20 percent of global oil trade, and three India-linked supertankers were reported navigating alternative routes in the Gulf of Oman. A technical fault in Swiss air-traffic control, triggered by no-fly-zone security measures for the talks, briefly disrupted flights at Zurich airport. Sailors in the strait were reported rationing food and dodging drones.

The geopolitical stakes are compounded by deep Israeli unease: a Hebrew University poll found 92 percent of Israelis believe Iran emerged as the winner of the war, and Israeli Defence Minister Katz publicly stated that Israeli troops inside Lebanese territory face no restrictions on acting against threats. US officials, including Vance, signalled Washington wants to turn over 'a new leaf' with Tehran while pressing Israel not to undermine the diplomacy. Whether a durable agreement emerges will depend heavily on whether the Lebanon fighting subsides and whether Iran and the US can bridge their differences on nuclear enrichment limits and sanctions within the 60-day framework.

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