US to ‘fundamentally transform’ Iran relations, says JD Vance amid talks in Switzerland

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 21, 2026 07:42 PM IST

US Vice President JD Vance waits to meet with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict, at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, Switzerland. (AP)

In the high-stakes summit being held in Switzerland between the US and Iran to end the conflict in West Asia, Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said Washington was willing to “fundamentally transform” its relations with Tehran and conveyed the message of President Donald Trump, who has asked ​to turn ⁠over “a new leaf” ‌to transform the relationship with Iran.

High-level nuclear and maritime security talks

The development comes as Vance and other senior Iranian officials reached Switzerland on Sunday to formally start the negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme and other sticking points in the framework to keep the fragile interim deal active and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

.@VP: “I think that @POTUS and the United States of America have done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world over the last few months, and we’re going to keep on working towards it.”

“What today really represents is the beginning of a… pic.twitter.com/GCoevmJORl

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 21, 2026

Unprecedented progress in bilateral leadership meetings

In his address, Vance said, “Never before has the Iranian and American leadership met at such a high level. We’ve already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we will make additional progress in the hours to come.”

.@VP: “We’ve seen great progress over the last just couple of days in ensuring that the ceasefire holds in Lebanon… @POTUS has committed us to see a full regional ceasefire.” pic.twitter.com/t7YHdU2uUr

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 21, 2026

Commitment to full ceasefire and optimism for Lebanon

Interacting with reporters in Switzerland, the Vice President said Trump has “committed” his country “to see a full ceasefire,” adding that he “feel(s) great” about “where we are in Lebanon.”

Evaluation of White House efforts amid continued regional conflict

Praising the Trump administration’s stance over conflict in Lebanon, Vance said the US government has done “more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world over the last few months.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shakes hands with Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis at the Bürgenstock Resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, in Switzerland ahead of high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict. (AP Photo)

The Vice President’s comments came after he was asked about Israel’s continued offensive in Beirut.

International mediation and the outlook for a permanent agreement

Vance also said the talks with Iran in Switzerland, which is being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, are the beginning of technical negotiations, adding that they will not be able to bring an immediate resolution to the conflict.

Qatar’s foreign ministry expressed hope that discussion between Washington and Tehran would result in “a comprehensive and permanent agreement addressing all aspects covered in the Memorandum of Understanding,” Al Jazeera reported.

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“Peace is never easy. Peace always requires a little bit of work. It always requires a little bit of give and take,” Vance said at the meeting.

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