Vance hopes US, Iran can turn the page at ‘historic’ talks

US vice-president JD Vance speaks during talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, at the Buergenstock resort. (EPA Images pic)

BURGENSTOCK: US vice-president JD Vance said he hopes Washington and Tehran can reset their relationship, at the start of what he called “historic” talks in Switzerland on Sunday.

Yet, as the meeting was happening, US President Donald Trump threatened in an online post to strike Iran if it did not “immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble”.

Vance, flanked by US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, was at the luxury Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne for talks with Tehan’s negotiators on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt the Middle East war.

“This is a historic meeting,” Vance said in the negotiation room, set up with for the US team on one side and for the Iranian delegation on the other.

“The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together?

“Can we turn over a new leaf? Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently?

“Or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but it’s certainly very much something that can happen.”

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were leading the talks for Tehran.

The discussions are being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.

The negotiation table was set up in a U-shape, AFP journalists in the room saw, with Qatar and the US on one side, Pakistan and Iran on the other — all with three seats each.

Pakistan and Qatar each also had one sat in the middle, at the head of the table.

‘Outstretched hand’

What Trump “has asked us to do is turn over new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran”, said Vance.

Trump wants to “extend an outstretched hand that says to the people of Iran that if your leadership is willing to give up being a driver of regional instability, if they are willing to give up nuclear weapons ambitions for the long term, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country.

“That is certainly our goal,” said Vance.

But as Vance met with the Iranians, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Tehran had to rein in Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump posted.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was flanked in the Swiss talks by Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as the mediators made opening remarks.

“I think we will have wonderful discussions which will lead to, hopefully, very productive results in times to come,” said Sharif.

“Hopefully when we go back to our homes we’ll have some wonderful paper in our hand which will promote peace, progress and prosperity around the globe.”

The Iranian delegation did not address reporters in the room and at no point did Araghchi join Vance with the two mediating prime ministers to be photographed together.