Vance meets Iranian officials on deal to end Middle East war

In central Switzerland, US and Iranian delegates are sitting down for the technical negotiations on addressing the Middle East war that the US and Israel started in late February.

Sunday's quadrilateral peace talks have officially got under way at Buergenstock mountain resort near Lake Lucerne and is aimed at building out the days-old memorandum of understanding signed by US and Iranian leaders to reach a final deal in a 60-day sprint.

The interim pact allows Iran to sell its oil and fuel immediately while calling for the country to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

US Vice President J.D. Vance delivers optimistic remarks as senior officials gather for the start of the talks that are mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. He is heading a delegation that also includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have already been on the ground to begin sifting through technical details.

Vance says, "The opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the end of the Iranian Nuclear Programme, all of these things have already been accomplished. 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 is certainly very much something that can happen."

Vance downplays clashes in Lebanon as a potential roadblock to strike an agreement, stating the US and Iran have a lot of work to do but are excited to do it.

He adds, "What the president has asked us to do is turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran and 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."

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, as well as senior security, central bank and oil officials would be present at the high-stakes gathering.

Earlier in the day, the US and Iran teams held respective bilateral meetings with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis also met the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi on the sidelines.