Middle East live: Vance, Pakistan PM arrive in Switzerland for Iran peace talks

21/06/2026 - 09:19

Pakistan delegation arrives in Switzerland for US-Iran talks: PM's office

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the military, Asim Munir, arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for talks over the Middle East war, Sharif's office said.

"Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will participate in the High-Level Talks on the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," the Prime Minister's Office wrote on X, referring to the US-Iran deal to end the war.

21/06/2026 - 08:33

Israel says it 'eliminated' two Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives tied to major funding network

The ​Israeli military ​said on Sunday that they "eliminated" Hussein ​Qadra ‌and ⁠Mohammed Farra, operatives ‌in the military wings ⁠of Hamas and Islamic ​Jihad.

Qadra, who ‌headed the network with ‌Farra, acted ​under Hamas leadership and facilitated the transfer of ​more ​than half ​a billion shekels to ​Hamas, according to an Israeli military ⁠X post.

21/06/2026 - 07:36

Iran minister says oil industry to be testing ground for any final US-Iran deal

⁠Iran's oil ​industry will ​be a key testing ground for any final ​peace ‌agreement ⁠with the US if Western ‌parties remain committed to ⁠its spirit, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad ​said on Sunday.

The ‌ministry's news outlet, Shana, quoted Paknejad ‌as saying that in ​a post-agreement era, Iran's oil sector would offer ​the global economy ​major investment opportunities ​and has hundreds of investment ​projects, as well as technical and operational partnership contracts ready ⁠to be signed.

21/06/2026 - 06:57

US Vice President JD Vance arrives in Switzerland for peace talks with Iran

US Vice President JD Vance landed Sunday in Switzerland to help formally launch negotiations with Iranian leaders over curbing Tehran’s nuclear program and building out the fragile interim deal to end the war in Iran.

The framework was signed last week, and now top US and Iran negotiators are in a 60-day sprint to reach agreement on the technical details that hold massive implications for the world economy and global security.

21/06/2026 - 06:56

US and Iran set for new talks after delay and deadly strikes

A new round of negotiations over the Middle East war was set to kick off Sunday, with Iranian negotiators arriving in the Swiss host city hours ahead of US Vice President JD Vance, even as Tehran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Before boarding his flight to Europe, Vance told reporters he hoped to "make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we're going to be focused on".

Follow-up talks had been planned in Switzerland on Friday but were postponed at the last minute after Israel launched deadly strikes in Lebanon following the deaths of four of its soldiers in combat.

21/06/2026 - 06:55

Recap: Iran says closed Strait of Hormuz as US deal hits obstacle ahead of Swiss talks

21/06/2026 - 06:54

Welcome to our liveblog

Yesterday's key developments:

• US President Donald Trump warned that the US could slap tolls on the Strait of Hormuz if negotiators failed to finalise a deal to end the war in Iran. 
• Iran's negotiating team left for Switzerland for discussions on the implementation of the agreement signed between it and the United States to halt the Mideast war.
• Iran’s joint military command said that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed again, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon and US “bad faith” and “its clear breach of its commitments” by failing to end the war.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)