Both sides were interpreting the truce as permission to continue fighting, just more carefully.
In Switzerland on June 21, American and Iranian delegations gathered to breathe life into a fragile 14-point interim agreement — one signed only days earlier after four months of direct conflict, and already straining under the weight of competing claims, broken ceasefires, and thousands of lives lost. Even as diplomats arrived, Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed while American warships reported business as usual, a contradiction that captured the essential paradox of this moment: two nations attempting peace while neither has fully chosen to stop for war. The talks represent not an ending, but a wager — that the architecture of negotiation can outlast the instinct to fight.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to traffic on the very day peace talks began, even as 55 merchant ships carrying 17 million barrels of oil passed through unchallenged — a provocation designed to remind the world who holds the region's energy lifeline.
- The 14-point interim deal signed by Trump and Pezeshkian is barely five days old, and its foundational ceasefire is already collapsing in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket fire continued through the weekend, killing 20 people in a single day.
- Iran's adviser to the supreme leader accused the US of violating the deal's first clause and warned that Middle Eastern energy flows would remain at risk as long as commitments existed only on paper — turning the Strait into a pressure valve for the entire negotiation.
- High-level delegations — VP Vance alongside Witkoff and Kushner for the US, Qalibaf and Araqchi for Iran, with Pakistan's prime minister and army chief observing — signal that both sides are investing real political weight, even as trust between them remains razor-thin.
- With 4,057 Lebanese killed since March and 92 percent of Israelis polled believing their country gained less from the conflict than Iran did, the human and political costs are mounting pressure on negotiators to produce something tangible before the ceasefire dissolves entirely.
On June 21, American and Iranian negotiators convened in Switzerland to advance a 14-point interim deal signed just five days earlier by President Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian — the product of nearly four months of direct conflict and a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire. The moment the delegations landed, the ground was already shifting.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to commercial traffic, a dramatic assertion that US Central Command immediately contradicted: 55 merchant vessels had transited the waterway on Saturday alone, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil. The dueling claims set the tone for what lay ahead. VP JD Vance led the American side, joined by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran sent chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf alongside Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and senior officials from security, banking, and energy. Pakistan's prime minister and army chief attended as observers.
The ceasefire was supposed to be a precondition for these talks, but in Lebanon it existed in name only. Israeli warplanes struck Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Saturday, killing 20 people. Hezbollah responded with more than 50 projectiles. Israel maintained it was reacting, not initiating, and refused to withdraw from Lebanese territory it had captured. Iran's adviser to the supreme leader cited these violations to justify the Strait closure threat, accusing Washington of failing to honor the deal's first clause — a ceasefire on all fronts.
Trump said no toll would be charged for Strait passage during the 60-day ceasefire window, but left open the possibility of imposing one if talks failed — framing American naval presence as a service with a potential price. Vance told reporters he expected progress on Iran's nuclear program and the Lebanon situation within a couple of days, and said he had seen no evidence the Strait was actually closed. Iran's Foreign Ministry signaled it would press hard for commitments to be honored, citing a history of agreements that dissolved before implementation.
The human cost shadowed every exchange. Lebanon's health ministry reported 4,057 people killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medical workers, women, and children. Inside Israel, a Hebrew University poll found 92 percent of citizens believed Iran had benefited more from the conflict, and nearly 90 percent said the war's goals had not been met. As delegations settled into their Swiss accommodations, the core tension was plain: both sides had agreed to stop fighting, but neither had agreed to stop preparing for the possibility that fighting would resume.
On Sunday, June 21, negotiators from the United States and Iran sat down in Switzerland to begin talks aimed at salvaging a fragile peace agreement. The moment they arrived, the ground beneath the negotiations was already shifting. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had declared the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world's most critical shipping channels—closed to traffic. The US military immediately contradicted this claim, reporting that 55 merchant vessels had moved through the waterway on Saturday alone, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets. It was the kind of opening move that suggested how difficult the coming days would be.
The talks themselves were meant to advance a 14-point interim deal signed just five days earlier by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, ending nearly four months of direct conflict between their nations. Both sides had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire while negotiations proceeded. US Vice President JD Vance led the American delegation, which included envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Iran sent its chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and senior officials from security, banking, and energy sectors. Pakistan, which had brokered the original agreement, sent its prime minister and army chief to observe the proceedings.
But the ceasefire was already unraveling in Lebanon, where the truce was supposed to be a precondition for these nuclear and regional security talks. On Saturday, the same day the Strait closure was announced, Israeli warplanes and drones struck targets across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley—both strongholds of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. Lebanese health officials reported 20 deaths from those strikes alone. Hezbollah fired back with more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in the south. Israel's military said it was responding to attacks, not initiating them, and that it remained committed to the ceasefire even as it refused to withdraw from Lebanese territory it had captured. The pattern was clear: both sides were interpreting the truce as permission to continue fighting, just more carefully.
Iran's military used the Lebanon violations as justification for its Strait closure threat. Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, accused the United States on social media of failing to implement the first clause of the interim deal—a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. He warned that as long as the agreement existed only on paper, the flow of Middle Eastern energy would remain blocked. Trump responded by saying no toll would be charged for passage through the Strait during the 60-day ceasefire, but he left open the possibility of imposing one afterward if peace talks failed. He framed it as a potential fee for American protection of Middle Eastern shipping lanes.
Vance, speaking to reporters before departing Washington, expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold and said he had seen no evidence that the Strait was actually closed. He expected the talks to last a couple of days and said the US team hoped to make progress on Iran's nuclear program and the Lebanon situation. But the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson signaled skepticism, saying Iran would press for the fulfillment of commitments and citing past failures by the other side to honor agreements.
The human toll of the conflict was impossible to ignore. Lebanon's health ministry reported that 4,057 people had been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medical workers, women, and children. The ministry did not specify how many were combatants, but the scale of civilian casualties hung over every negotiation. Inside Israel, a Hebrew University poll found that 92 percent of Israelis believed Iran had benefited more from the military campaign than Israel had. Nearly 90 percent said the war's goals had not been met, and more than 70 percent rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims of major achievements.
As the delegations settled into their Swiss hotel rooms, the fundamental problem was already visible: both sides had agreed to stop fighting, but neither side had agreed to stop preparing for the possibility that fighting would resume. The Strait remained open to commercial traffic, but Iran's threat hung in the air. The Lebanon ceasefire held in name only. The talks had begun, but the war had not truly ended.
Citas Notables
Iran would press for the fulfillment of commitments, citing past failures by the other side to honor agreements— Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei
Israel was committed to the ceasefire but would continue to act against any threat to Israel or its forces— Israeli military statement
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Iran's claim about closing the Strait matter so much if the US says ships are still moving through?
Because the Strait of Hormuz carries about a third of the world's seaborne oil. If Iran actually closes it, global energy prices spike immediately. The dispute itself—who's telling the truth—signals whether either side is serious about the ceasefire or just positioning for the next round of fighting.
So the talks in Switzerland are happening, but the ceasefire is already breaking down in Lebanon?
Not breaking down exactly—it's more that both sides are testing the boundaries. Israel says it's only responding to Hezbollah attacks. Hezbollah says it won't let Israel move freely. Twenty people died on the first day of the truce. That's not a ceasefire; that's a negotiated pause in a war that hasn't actually stopped.
What does Pakistan's presence at these talks actually accomplish?
Pakistan brokered the original deal, so they're there as guarantors, in a sense. They have leverage with both sides and can translate between them. But their presence also signals to the world that this agreement has international backing, not just American and Iranian signatures.
The poll showing 92 percent of Israelis think Iran won—does that change what happens in the negotiations?
It complicates things for Netanyahu domestically. He needs to show his own people that Israel got something out of this war. But it also means Israel has less room to make concessions in future talks without looking weak at home. That's a constraint on what the US negotiators can actually achieve.
Why would Trump threaten to charge a toll for ships passing through the Strait?
It's leverage. He's saying: if you don't make a deal, I'll make you pay for protection. It's also a way of framing American military presence in the Middle East as a service that should be compensated. Whether it's a serious threat or just negotiating theater is unclear, but it tells you something about how Trump sees the region.
What happens if these talks fail?
The 60-day ceasefire ends, and the fighting resumes—probably worse than before, because both sides will have used the pause to reposition. The Strait could actually be closed. Lebanon could become a full-scale battlefield again. And Iran's nuclear program remains unresolved, which was the whole point of the talks.