Vance meets top Iranian officials as U.S. looks to prod Iran to 'turn over a new leaf'

By — Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Aamer Madhani, Associated Press By — Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Seung Min Kim, Associated Press By — Jamey Keaten, Associated Press Jamey Keaten, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/vance-meets-top-iranian-officials-as-us-looks-to-prod-iran-to-turn-over-a-new-leaf Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Vance meets top Iranian officials as U.S. looks to prod Iran to 'turn over a new leaf' World Jun 21, 2026 11:28 AM EDT OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday there was an opportunity to "turn over a new leaf" with Iran as the sides held talks aimed at building out the interim deal to end the war in Iran reached by the two sides last week. Vance and U.S. negotiators met with Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a Swiss mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar were also in the room for the direct engagement that, according to Iranian state media, lasted about 80 minutes. The U.S. and Iranian negotiating teams also held separate private talks with Pakistani and Qatari officials. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The U.S. is looking to get Iran locked into negotiations over its nuclear program amid concerns it may be used for military purposes, which Iran denies. Vance also wants to push Tehran to commit to keeping open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which about a fifth of world traded oil passes. But the on-again, off-again conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants continues to threaten to derail the effort for the U.S. to win concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program and keep the strait open. "The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?" Vance said as the talks, dubbed the "Lake Lucerne Summit," got underway. "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 is certainly very much something that can happen." Iran first wants to focus on Israeli strikes in Lebanon Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the country's state news agency ahead of the meeting with Vance that their team's negotiations looked to focus on the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The interim agreement was signed last week, and now top American and Iranian negotiators are in a 60-day sprint to reach an agreement on the technical details that hold massive implications for the world economy and global security. READ MORE: U.S. and Iran to talk Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran says it closed Strait of Hormuz again Only days after signing the agreement, it is being stress-tested after fighting escalated in Lebanon between Israe