The first round of US-Iran talks in the Swiss ski resort of Bürgenstock has ended for consultations, according to media reports quoting Iranian state media.
The first session was on Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported. Sessions on the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear issue and sanctions on Iran would follow suit.
The talks are continuing in a constructive atmosphere, despite US President Donald Trump's tweets threatening strikes on Iran, according to the report.
US Vice President J D Vance, who kickstarted direct talks with Iranian negotiators, had hinted at progress to end the Middle East conflict.
President Donald Trump posted a threatening message aimed at Iran, sparking concerns that the talks could get derailed at the slightest provocation as the Iranian side was already wary of the US upholding peace commitments.
"Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP," Trump postedon Truth Social.
Lebanon has said at least 47 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since Friday. Israel claims four soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were killed.
The US president was referring to the clashes in Lebanon between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel. Last week, Trump had slammed Israel for launching strikes amid fears that Israel is trying to pull the US back into war.
The talks, dubbed the Lake Lucerne Summit, got underway at the Qatari-owned Swiss mountainside resort earlier on Sunday.
"The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?" Vance was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
"Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently, or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but is certainly very much something that can happen," the US vice president said.
Iran's reluctance
The Iranian negotiating team is headed by Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
A reluctant Iran was reportedly persuaded by mediators to begin talks in the wake of its announcement to halt transit through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday following the Israeli strikes.
Iran's point of contention is that talks are unacceptable as the initial framework involving a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon has been violated by Israel. The US has failed to uphold its commitments regarding the ceasefire, and hence the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had to be resorted to. A ceasefire was reportedly again agreed to by the warring sides in Lebanon late on Friday afternoon.
Iranian delegation met mediators in the morning, according to a report in The Guardian which quoted Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said.
"We already made progress in the last several hours, and I expect we will make additional progress in the hours to come," Vance said in Bürgenstock on Sunday, Axios reported as direct talks between Iran and the US started earlier.
The Axios report said Vance and White House envoys Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushne met on Sunday morning with the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Qatar and Pakistan's top general, who is mediating talks between the US and Iran.
Later, the US and Iranian delegations held a meeting with the Qatari mediators, per the Axios report. Vance admitted the hard part of the talks remains the nuclear issue and the attacks that threaten the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency is also participating in the talks. The Iranian delegation also includes oil executives and officials of its central bank, indicating that a mechanism to facilitate oil sales that have been under US sanctions and the release of a reported $300 billion in funds will actively figure in talks.
