US and Iran begin talks on initial peace deal in Switzerland

US and Iranian officials have started direct talks in Switzerland after signing an initial agreement to end the war last week.

The deal includes a commitment to reach a final agreement within 60 days, as well as an end to fighting on "all fronts" - including in Lebanon - and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

After talks started, President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran "must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble".

He threatened to "hit Iran very hard again" if they did not.

Before the talks began, Vice-President JD Vance had said the US hoped for progress on "the nuclear issue" and Lebanon, while Tehran said it would be "demanding that the other side fulfil its commitments".

At the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, Vance said Trump had asked negotiators to "turn over a new leaf". He added that if Iran's leadership was willing to give up being a "driver of regional instability" and "nuclear weapons ambitions for the longer term", then the US "is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country".

Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement that negotiations for a final deal were contingent on enforcing existing commitments - including stopping all military operations. Sunday's talks were focused on implementation, he said.

Vance was joined by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

For the Iranians, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Switzerland late on Saturday.

The delegations were joined by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the country's armed forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Under the deal, Iran was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel through which 20% of the world's oil and natural gas travels. Its effective closure had driven up fuel prices and disrupted the global economy.

The US also agreed to lift a military blockade on ships going to and from Iranian ports.

The initial deal also included a $300bn (£224bn) plan for Iran's "reconstruction", and the US terminating "all types of sanctions" on it.

But the issue of Iran's nuclear programme, the main reason stated by the US for the conflict, is still to be negotiated. In Trump's first term, he withdrew the US from an Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed economic sanctions.

Under this week's initial deal, fighting was also supposed to stop on all fronts, but deadly conflict continued between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, despite the deal and a ceasefire agreed by the two sides on Friday.

Since the deal was signed, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 67 people, while Hezbollah attacks have killed five Israeli soldiers.

However, some vessels appeared to be entering, exiting and transiting the strait on Sunday, according to location data on the maritime tracking website MarineTraffic.

Three ships exited on the strait's eastern side in the morning, while three other vessels looked to be heading east in the afternoon.

Tracking data may not capture all movements as some vessels may have turned their trackers off.

Israel has insisted that its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from the war on Iran, which it mounted alongside the US on 28 February.

Lebanon was drawn into the war shortly afterwards, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader.

Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and occupying around 5% of the country's territory in the south - hoping to drive back Hezbollah fighters from its northern border - and has said it has no intention of withdrawing.

Since 2 March, 4,057 people have been killed in Lebanon, the country's health ministry says. At least 34 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, and four civilians in northern Israel, Israeli authorities say.