U.S. Vice President JD Vance listens to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as they attend a quadrilateral meeting between the U.S., Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar at the Lake Lucerne Summit, aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict, at Buergenstock Resort Lake Lucerne, near Stansstad, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump continued to threaten Iran on Sunday (June 21, 2026) even as talks began in Switzerland between his vice president and Iranian officials on next steps in the interim agreement signed last week to end the war.
The U.S. team is led by Vice President J.D. Vance and includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The Iranian negotiators are led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Pakistan and Qatar are mediators.
On the eve of talks, Tehran said it closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.
The interim deal is meant to stop fighting on all fronts, including Lebanon. Iran has said talks must first address that issue.
The U.S. says shipping traffic on the crucial waterway continues, and Trump has threatened to impose American tolls in the strait if a final deal with Iran isn’t reached in 60 days.
Other issues include unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets and addressing the heart of tensions: Iran’s nuclear program.
Negotiators expect to work through the night
Negotiators hoping to reach a deal to end the war in Iran are anticipating working through the night, according to a senior U.S. diplomat engaged in the talks.
The diplomat, who insisted on anonymity to detail private discussions, said the Iranians remained in the talks contrary to some reports, and said that much of the discussions have included clarifying what Iran meant by some of its recent statements about the Strait of Hormuz.
The negotiators also discussed various “mechanisms” to ensure the strait remains open and that a ceasefire in southern Lebanon is enforced.
Oil prices rise slightly
Oil prices inched up a bit on Sunday (June 21, 2026) amid the lingering uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, the critical passageway for the world’s oil and natural gas.
The price of U.S. crude oil rose nearly 3% to $78.70 per barrel on Sunday (June 21, 2026). The price of Brent crude, the international standard, was up a little over 1% to $81.70 per barrel.
Iran says Lebanon but also oil, frozen assets discussed
Members of Iran’s delegation, briefing their media, said the talks Sunday (June 21, 2026) to reach a deal to end the war in Iran had mainly focused on Lebanon.
Other issues, including the release of frozen Iranian assets and Iran’s oil exports, had also been discussed, the reports said.
Hamid Bovard, CEO of the National Iranian Oil Co, who is part of Iran’s delegation in Switzerland, said the issue of lifting oil-related sanctions and the associated waivers was pursued during negotiations.
Bovard was responding to a question from a correspondent from IRNA, Iran’s state-run news agency.
Netanyahu brushes off criticism that the war fell short of its goals
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes the Iranian government will collapse as a result of the military campaign. Creating the conditions for a popular uprising was one of his original goals.
“I think we created the conditions for its future fall,” Mr. Netanyahu told the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Sunday.
“That is what will be the real triumph, when the Iranian people take their own destiny in their hands, and they knock out this brutal regime that is terrorizing them and terrorizing the rest of the world.”
Published – June 22, 2026 05:17 am IST