Vance Declares Lucerne Peace Talks a Success, but Iran Remains Defiant

Qatar and Pakistan say negotiators agreed on a framework toward a final deal.

U.S. Central Command sent its own message to Iran with this photograph it posted on social media.

Vice President JD Vance declared Sunday’s peace talks a success Monday, hours after Qatar and Pakistan said the United States and Iran agreed on a roadmap toward a final agreement within 60 days, despite tensions on full display at the Lake Lucerne Summit.

The mediators said “encouraging progress” was made Sunday, including the creation of a “de-confliction cell” intended to help end military operations in Lebanon. The talks took place at the Bürgenstock Resort near Obbürgen, Switzerland, overlooking Lake Lucerne.

A Sunday flareup between Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and the Israel Defense Forces in Lebanon led to strained negotiations. The Iranian delegation at one point walked out of the discussion, protesting a Truth Social post President Trump wrote during talks: “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!!!” It later returned.

Building on the memorandum of understanding signed last week, “the parties have agreed to the establishment of a High Level Committee, which will provide political oversight on the mediation. Chief negotiators will report regularly to the High Level Committee and lead working groups focused on nuclear issues, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group,” Qatar and Pakistan said.

“The mediating parties will continue to do their utmost to ensure that the negotiations continue to be conducted in a constructive atmosphere with the aim of reaching a final deal.” Technical teams will remain in Switzerland this week to continue talks.

Mediators said a “communication line between the parties has been formed” to “avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, praised the outcome. “Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War. Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran,” he said.

But he added the “Lebanon deconfliction cell” will be the accord’s first “real test.”

Mr. Araghchi and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf led Iran’s delegation, while Mr. Vance headed the U.S. delegation, joined by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

“Yesterday was a very, very good day,” Mr. Vance told reporters Monday. “We made a lot of good progress. We did exactly what we wanted to do.”

Yet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remained defiant Sunday, saying, “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.”

America sent its own message: U.S. Central Command posted a photograph on X an hour and a half before the mediators’ statement showing two A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft conducting a patrol over the Middle East. “U.S. forces continue to be present in the skies, on land, and at sea throughout the region,” it said.