The Iranian team walked out of negotiations on Sunday in protests of theats by US President Donald Trump to restart Iran strikes unless the Strait of Hormuz is repoened, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported, citing a source vlose to the negotiating team.
Earlier on Sunday, the representatives of the United States, Pakistan, and Qatar spoke to the press after a quadrilateral meeting, also including Iran, at the Bürgenstock mountain resort in Switzerland. Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif began the talks by thanking Trump for his efforts that led to them.
“We are witnessing a great day that will lead to world peace,” said Sharif. “We thank Trump for his active vision that led to direct negotiations and look forward to fruitful negotiations between the United States and Iran that will lead to results. I am confident that a meaningful document can be reached that will lay the foundations for lasting peace.”
According to Maariv, a source told Tasnim that the Iranian delegation declined to participate in a group photo with the US delegation, and that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf refused to enter the room during the press conference.
US Vice President JD Vance began his speech with a thank-you to Trump, attributing the US president’s “leadership” for bringing the world “to this moment.”
“I want to thank the President of the United States, who sends his best to all the great leaders assembled here, because he empowered us to find a diplomatic solution to a host of issues that matter to the American people,” said Vance. “What brought us to this moment is the president’s leadership and the president’s willingness to see a Middle East that is much different 10 years from now than it was 10 years ago.”
“Through diplomacy, through working together to transform the ME where Iran and the Gulf had been at war with each other,” Vance continued. “Iran has been a driver of regional instability; now we see a future where everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity for everyone.”
“What the president has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf,” added Vance.
‘Just the beginning’
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani described the meeting as “just the beginning” of a negotiation process.
“What is happening today in this meeting is important for the security of the region and the world,” said Al Thani. “Today’s meeting is just the beginning of the process to achieve the goals.”
“We have seen tremendous dedication and efforts from Vance, the Pakistani Prime Minister, and the Iranian Foreign Minister,” he added.
A reporter asked Vance if he had a message for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to which Vance replied that the US has “seen great progress over the last couple of days in ensuring the ceasefire holds in Lebanon.”
“We found great partners in working with the Qataris, the Pakistanis, our friends in Israel, who were all working towards regional peace,” Vance said. “There’s still some additional wood to chop, but we’re gonna keep on working on it.”
Vance added that Trump and the US “have done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world over the last few months.”
He emphasized that Trump is “committed to a regional peace,” not just between the US and Iran.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, we’re excited to do it,” Vance concluded.
Vance, Sharif meet prior to start of talks
Vance and Sharif met on the sidelines of Buergenstock as the meetings were set to start.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, alongside Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, meets US Vice President J.D. Vance on the sidelines of the High-Level Talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on the implementation of the Islamabad… pic.twitter.com/t7gcKtgsy8
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) June 21, 2026
In the sideline meeting, Vance refused to answer a reporter’s question about Netanyahu.
A reporter asked Vance what his message to Netanyahu would be at the start of the meeting, but he did not respond. Notably, Vance told Fox News on Saturday that the US and Iran had a “divergence of how to accomplish” ending the war in Iran.
Esmaeil Baghaei said that Iran would hold meetings with intermediaries Qatar and Pakistan earlier in the day, adding that the gathering in Switzerland is a follow-up on the implementation of a memorandum of understanding signed with the US this week.
Emergency session on Israel-Hezbollah conflict reportedly added to Switzerland peace talks
An emergency session to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been added to the schedule of the first day of the Switzerland talks, CBS News reported on Saturday night, citing a diplomat attending the talks.
That issue will be raised during the first session of negotiations between the US and Iran, according to the diplomat.
Neither Israeli nor Hezbollah representatives will be attending the talks.
This comes as the Strait of Hormuz reportedly remains closed. According to regime-aligned outlet Fars, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has not granted permission for any vessels to transit until further notice.
The US military had denied earlier reports of the closure and said commercial vessels were still operating.
US officials have disputed that the strait is closed and said 55 merchant ships crossed it on Saturday.
Vessel-tracking data showing ships actively transmitting their positions broadly backs Iran’s claim that the strait is closed, with no tanker crossings recorded since Tehran announced the move on Saturday afternoon.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, reported that the Strait would not be reopened until a ceasefire in Lebanon was respected.
US, Iranian delegations prepare for peace talks
On Saturday, Iran’s delegation arrived in Switzerland ahead of planned talks with the US.
We welcome the arrival of the Iranian delegation in #Switzerland.
The Iranian delegation is on its way to the Bürgenstock as part of the implementation of the MoU signed between the #UnitedStates and #Iran. pic.twitter.com/5USLCr0h4H
— Swiss MFA (@SwissMFA) June 20, 2026
The delegation includes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliment Speaker Mohammed-Bagher Ghalibaf.
Ghalibaf announced his arrival on X with a photo of himself standing in front of a plane bearing the hashtag “Minab 168” in English and Persian, beside the flag of the Iranian regime.
Vance later arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for what he has said would likely be a couple of days of peace talks with Iranian officials.
Vance and his wife arrived at Emmen Air Base in Switzerland at 5:59 a.m., a vice presidential spokesperson said.
Vice President JD Vance is wheels up from Washington, D.C., en route to Switzerland 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/uEeFTnx5Dn
— Luke Schroeder (@VPPressSec) June 20, 2026
US Special Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have reportedly already arrived in Switzerland for the talks.
Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Staff arrived in Zurich on Sunday with their delegations, Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office announced on X.
The meeting, originally scheduled for Friday, follows the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in France last week.
Vance and Ghalibaf digitally signed the agreement, with Trump witnessing the signing, according to the US official.
The White House published footage of the signing on an X post on Thursday.
