US-Iran talks open in Switzerland as Tehran says it closed Strait of Hormuz
US Vice-President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland for technical-level talks framed around post-war tensions. At the same time, Tehran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping. Brent crude moved above $80 a barrel.
Reporting from Switzerland, the BBC confirms that US Vice-President JD Vance is meeting Iranian foreign ministry representatives at a residence near Geneva. Pakistan said the talks are at technical level and cover a renewed oversight framework for the nuclear programme.
A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a statement made simultaneously with the talks, declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all commercial and military shipping. The US military said the strait is in practice still open to commercial transit and that the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is in position in the area. Trump described the move as "provocative".
Brent crude climbed above $81 a barrel and Asian markets closed the session lower. The US Treasury said it has paused a mid-sized new sanctions package for Tehran for the duration of the talks. According to Reuters, Pakistan is serving as a back-channel mediator.
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