U.S. Vice President JD Vance, right, meets with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict, at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, in Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026.
Nathan Howard/Pool Reuters/AP
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Nathan Howard/Pool Reuters/AP
During high-level discussions with Iranian officials in Switzerland on Sunday, President Trump issued threats of further action against Iran. Vice President JD Vance was present at these talks.
Trump posted on social media, stating, “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Read the post here.
The day before, Iran’s military closed the Strait of Hormuz following ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran. Iran accused the U.S. of failing to control Israel, thus breaching last week’s tentative agreement that requires a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
On Sunday, Vance, who had arrived in Switzerland earlier that day, held meetings with Pakistani representatives, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, who have been facilitating the talks.
An Iranian delegation, Qatari mediators, and Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are also participating in these discussions.
The focus of these talks is a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran last week, which is already under strain. Despite Iran’s claim on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command reported that shipping through the strait was continuing normally.
Iran’s nuclear program is another contentious issue under discussion. On Sunday morning, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asserted, “What is certain is that we will never back down from the right to enrich uranium, and the other side is also forced to accept it.” Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Although a ceasefire was announced on Friday, intense exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued throughout Saturday, adding pressure to the negotiations.
Despite these tensions, Vance expressed optimism about the progress of the talks, stating on Sunday, “We’ve already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we’ll make additional progress in the hours to come.”
When asked if he had a message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vance remarked that while there may be disagreements on how to proceed, he feels confident about the situation in Lebanon. “There’s still some additional wood to chop, but we’re going to keep on working,” he said.
Vance also stated that the U.S. has done more to halt the conflict in Lebanon than any other government.
According to the Lebanese National News Agency, at least 16 people, including civilians, were killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday. Israel claimed these strikes were in response to Hezbollah’s projectile fire overnight, which Hezbollah said was provoked by Israel moving into Lebanese territory.
On Sunday, the interim head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon informed NPR that, for the first time since the war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, no attacks had been recorded from either side.
Although neither Israel nor Lebanon has signed the Memorandum of Understanding, the agreement emphasizes respecting Lebanese sovereignty, a stipulation Iran insists the U.S. must uphold. It also demands a halt to military operations in Lebanon.
NPR’s Jane Arraf contributed to this report.
