US and Iran Open Face-to-Face Talks in Switzerland as Hormuz Crisis Deepens

Delegations from Washington and Tehran met directly in Switzerland Saturday, the first such contact since Iran claimed to have closed the Strait of Hormuz and fighting continued in Lebanon.

US and Iranian delegations held direct face-to-face talks in Switzerland on Saturday.
Iran has claimed to have shut the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20 percent of global oil supply.
The talks follow ongoing military exchanges in Lebanon involving Iranian-backed forces.
The meeting marks the most significant diplomatic contact between the two governments in years.
No deal has been announced; further rounds of talks are expected.

US and Iranian delegations sat down face-to-face in Switzerland Saturday in the first direct talks aimed at an initial peace framework, the Wail confirmed, as Tehran pressed its claim to have shut the Strait of Hormuz and fighting continued in Lebanon.

The location was Oman-brokered Geneva-adjacent channel territory, with both sides sending senior envoys, according to reporting by the BBC published Saturday.

Iran's claim to have closed the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's traded oil passes — raised the stakes heading into the room. No Iranian or US official confirmed the closure had taken full operational effect before talks opened.

Simultaneous fighting in Lebanon, involving Iranian-backed Hezbollah, has complicated any framework from the outset. Both sides acknowledged the session as exploratory; no ceasefire terms or interim agreement were announced.

The talks represent the most direct diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran in years, coming at a moment when two separate military flashpoints are active simultaneously.

A second round of talks has not been formally scheduled. US and Iranian officials are expected to brief their respective governments on the outcome of Saturday's session before any further meeting is confirmed.