US vice president says America ready to 'fundamentally transform' ties with Iran

US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that if Iran's leadership is willing to abandon its destabilizing role in the Middle East and give up nuclear weapons in the long term, "the United States is willing to fundamentally transform its relationship with Iran," adding that "this is the clear objective."

Vance made the remarks to reporters just before the start of face-to-face four-way talks with Iran, brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, at the Bürgenstock Resort in Lucerne, Switzerland. He said President Donald Trump had asked the US negotiating delegation "to open a new chapter to transform the relationship with the Iranian people and to deliver this message to the Iranian people."

He added that "we have already made great progress in the last few hours, and I expect to make additional progress in the hours ahead."

Vance led the US delegation — which included Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner — at the talks. The session was convened to address nuclear negotiations and other specifics following the signing of a cease-fire memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.

"The goal we are trying to accomplish here is very simple," Vance said, describing it as transforming a Middle East "where Iran and the Gulf states were at war with each other, or at least in a very hostile relationship, through diplomacy and cooperation."

He said the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the end of Iran's nuclear program had already been achieved, then asked what more could be accomplished together. "Can we open a new chapter? Can we change the relationships in the Middle East forever?" he said, while warning against a return to old ways. "That is not our preference, but it is certainly something that is more likely to happen," he added.

On Israel's strikes against Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah, Vance said "there has been great progress over the last few days in making sure that the truce in Lebanon holds," and went on to say that "these things are always a little messy. If you compare three months ago to three days ago, great progress has been made."

"We are all working together for regional peace. Of course, there will sometimes be disagreements about exactly how to achieve the goals, but I am actually satisfied with the current situation in Lebanon," he said, adding that challenges remain but that efforts would continue.

Vance also said that "President Trump and the United States have worked harder than any country in the world over the past few months to stop the conflict in Lebanon, and we will continue to do so," and that "peace is never easy. Peace requires a little bit of effort and give and take."

On the talks themselves, he said they would not resolve every disagreement but would, "for the first time in history, bring delegations together to figure out what matters most, to solve those problems, and to allow us to have a better tomorrow."

Opening remarks were delivered in turn by Vance, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The Iranian delegation did not speak before reporters.

According to the vice president's press pool, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefly entered the room before the public remarks began, embraced Sharif and then left.

The talks moved into closed session immediately after the public remarks. The press pool reported that after reporters were ushered out, Araghchi and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and head of the Iranian negotiating delegation, were seen entering the meeting room.