. The United States and Iran will begin a new round of talks on the Middle East war in Geneva today. Iran’s delegation arrived in Geneva on Saturday night, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance also left for Europe. Meanwhile, Iran has announced that it will close the Strait of Hormuz again in Lebanon as Israel’s offensive continues.
Speaking to reporters before leaving for Europe, Vance said he hoped to make progress on Iran’s nuclear program and the Lebanon ceasefire.TAG_OPEN_div_26 The follow-up talks, scheduled for Friday, were postponed at the last minute after Israel launched a deadly attack on Lebanon. The attack came after the deaths of four members of an Israeli army.
The US announced the reinstatement of the ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday, but clashes erupted again on Saturday between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Tehran: Iran’s Central Military Command said it would reopen ships in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the US of not abiding by a preliminary agreement and continued ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon.
The Strait of Hormuz, the main route for global oil and gas supplies, was blocked by Iran for most of the war.TAG_OPEN_div_22 The Strait of Hormuz was reopened under a preliminary agreement between US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian. After Iran’s announcement, the US Central Command said that safe movement in international waterways is maintained and US forces are on alert.
Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened that the United States could impose its own tariffs on Hormuz’s traffic if a final agreement is not reached.TAG_OPEN_div_20 The Iranian delegation includes parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Galibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Bakaei said the talks would raise the demand that the other side implement its commitments in accordance with the initial agreement.
U.S. negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are reportedly at the site to discuss technical issues.TAG_OPEN_div_18 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir have also left for Switzerland for high-level talks. The aim of the talks is to begin a two-month negotiating process on outstanding issues through preliminary agreements, particularly on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue in southern Lebanon.TAG_OPEN_div_16 The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in the clashes. It was the fifth military death since the US-Iran deal. Israel’s military says Hezbollah has fired more than 50 missiles at its troops in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it had retaliated after Israel tried to infiltrate into southern Lebanon under the guise of a ceasefire.
According to Lebanese state media, about 20 locations were affected by Israeli airstrikes.TAG_OPEN_div_14 More than 30 people were killed in the attack. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the death toll from the conflict has exceeded four thousand. Both sides have blamed each other for the ceasefire violations. Displaced residents in southern Lebanon say fear still persists in the area.
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