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US Vice President JD Vance dismissed claims that Donald Trump's harsh statements damaged the weekend's negotiations with Iran. Speaking from Bürgenstock, Switzerland, after the end of the round of talks, he stressed that the process continued normally and brought concrete results.
" No, they didn't put obstacles in the process," Vance declared.
Trump, who spent the weekend at Camp David, had warned of new attacks on Iran during a phone interview with Fox News, while urging the Iranian president to “be careful what he says” while negotiations were still underway. Vance acknowledged that the statements caused a temporary hiatus in the talks, but not their collapse.
"There were some threats, there were a few complaints, but at the end of the day the talks continued and we made significant progress," he said.
According to the US vice president, Washington had previously warned the Iranian side that Trump would publicly respond to Tehran's statements.
"What we said to the Iranians yesterday is that when you engage in what we, the millennials, would call 'verbal garbage,' you cannot expect the president of the United States not to respond and restore the real facts ," he declared.
Iran accepts return of IAEA inspectors
Vance described the day of negotiations as "a very, very good day" and presented the four main priorities discussed during the technical meetings.
J.D. Vance:
The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back to their country.
According to him, one of the main objectives was to guarantee free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a strategic route for global trade.
"First, we wanted to create a mechanism that would guarantee that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open, and it continues to remain open," Vance told reporters at Bürgenstock.
He added that it was agreed to establish a coordination mechanism for naval mine clearance operations and the full restoration of commercial navigation in the area.
Another objective was to create a mechanism for implementing the regional ceasefire and avoiding military escalation, especially in Lebanon, which remains one of the most sensitive issues of the negotiations.
According to Vance, the most important achievement for the US was Iran's agreement to allow the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.
"This is a significant historic moment for the American people and the first step toward permanent nuclear disarmament or the ultimate end of a nuclear weapons program in Iran. That is exactly what we aimed to achieve," he declared.
Vance also announced that a process has been set up that will allow technical negotiations to continue even after the main delegations leave Switzerland.
“We laid a very strong foundation for a successful final agreement. The final agreement is the house. We laid the foundation. We haven’t built the house yet, but we have created the conditions to achieve a positive outcome for the American people ,” he said.
Lebanon remains the main challenge
Vance acknowledged that talks to end the fighting in southern Lebanon have not yet been concluded and remain an open issue.
"Sometimes a lower-level person launches a drone without the approval of the higher command. Of course, Israel has to respond to this, but we could have a more peaceful situation if Israel reacted within the framework of the talks that are taking place between the parties…
Clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah continue to be considered one of the main factors that could jeopardize the overall negotiation process.
"The last 24 hours have been perhaps the calmest we've seen in Lebanon in a long time," the US vice president said.
He added that despite the exchanges of fire recorded a few days ago, a mechanism has been created that aims to prevent the situation from getting out of control.
Vance leaves Switzerland
After the negotiations concluded, the US vice president announced that he would return to the United States, while technical teams would continue working to finalize the agreement.
"As beautiful as this place is, I can't stay here for the next 60 days," he said humorously during a brief statement to the media.
"I am returning to the United States, but the technical teams will continue to work under proper supervision to ensure that the objectives that matter to everyone are achieved," he added.
In conclusion, Vance emphasized that the negotiating teams made "very significant progress," remaining at the negotiating table until after 1:00 a.m. Monday morning.
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