The first round of talks between high-ranking U.S. and Iranian officials in Switzerland ended Monday, mediators said, after a tense opening marked by Tehran’s announcement ​it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. President Donald Trump repeating his threats to resume attacks on Iran.

A joint statement from mediating nations Qatar and Pakistan said the U.S. and Iran agreed ‌to a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days. Technical talks will continue for the rest of the week in the Qatari-owned Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock, according to the statement, which was released by the Qatari foreign ministry, Reuters reported.

The parties agreed to a mechanism to end the fighting in Lebanon and opened a communications line to help ensure safe passages for commercial ships through the contested strait, the statement said.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance had opened talks with Iranian officials on Sunday under the terms of a memorandum of understanding reached last week to extend a tenuous ceasefire from April for ​at least another 60 days. The discussions continued until the early hours of Monday.

In a post on social media, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country had secured waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, the release of ​some frozen assets and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan for Iran.

The White House had no immediate comment when asked if talks had wrapped for now.

Just before talks officially began ⁠on Sunday, Fox News reported that Trump said he told Iranian officials “you won’t have a country” if they tried to close the strait again. Trump also reiterated an earlier threat that the U.S. would take over the waterway and possibly charge a toll ​of its own, Fox News said.

U.S. and Iranian sources provided separate accounts of the discussions in Switzerland.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing an informed source, said that after Trump’s threats became public, the Iranian delegation refused to return to the room where talks were ​held, though messages were still being traded via Pakistani and Qatari mediators.

According to Tasnim’s source, Iranians said that the start of negotiations on nuclear matters required the delivery of other parts of the MOU, including the release of frozen assets and U.S. waivers authorizing Iranian oil exports.

“The Iranians never left and are still here meeting and negotiating deep into the night,” a U.S. diplomat involved in the talks told Reuters. “We’ve talked about the Strait, Lebanon, nuclear issues, and details of implementing the MOU, among other topics.”

High-level discussions are expected to wrap up on Monday, with technical staff remaining ​to conduct further talks, according to a U.S. official.

The agreement called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point for global energy shipments, and ending all hostilities, including in Lebanon, where Israel has continued to launch deadly strikes as Iranian ally Hezbollah ​fires at Israeli targets.

Iran, arguing that the U.S. had failed to meet its commitment to halt fighting in Lebanon, said on the weekend that it had again stopped maritime traffic through the strait and that Sunday’s talks would not cover substantive issues such as Iran’s nuclear ‌programme.

At the talks ⁠in Switzerland, where U.S. and Iranian officials met in the presence of Qatari mediators, Vance played down the impact of violence in Lebanon, saying progress had been made towards ending hostilities there.

“These things are always a little bit messy,” he said.

Back in the United States, Trump threatened to resume attacks on Iran if it did not rein in its allies.

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump wrote on social media, apparently referring to Hezbollah. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

Even as Trump was threatening Iran, Vance told reporters the U.S. president had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran.”

A U.S. diplomat late Sunday said discussions included “clarifying ​some of the confusing messaging from Iran on the Strait ​and building deconfliction mechanisms to ensure the Strait will remain ⁠fully open.”

IRAN CITES LEBANON AS REASON TO CLOSE STRAIT

Despite the announcement of a new ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday, there has been scant sign of an end to fighting there. Iran said on Saturday that as a result, it had again shut the strait, whose closure for nearly four months caused the biggest disruption of global energy supplies in history.

U.S. officials disputed that the strait ​was closed, but commercially available shipping data showed an immediate impact.

Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, a sharp drop from the 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from ​analytics firm Kpler showed. The data ⁠may exclude vessels that switch off their transponders while travelling in the Gulf.

Iran’s Fars news agency cited a military source as saying on Sunday that no new permits were being issued for ships to cross until further notice.

Trump said he agreed to last week’s memorandum of understanding to avert a global economic depression from high oil prices caused by the strait’s closure. Oil prices had tumbled over the past week to levels unseen since the war started on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Brent crude futures rose more than $1 to $81.66 a ⁠barrel in early ​Monday trading, following the rocky start to the peace talks.

Sunday appeared to be the quietest day in Lebanon for some time, with no reports of ​major violence by nightfall, after two days of heavy Israeli strikes and fire from Hezbollah fighters on Israeli positions.

More than 1 million people have fled their homes in Lebanon since Israel invaded in March to pursue Hezbollah fighters who fired across the border in support of Tehran.

Reuters journalists in southern Lebanon on Sunday ​saw some of the heaviest traffic since the memorandum was signed, with residents returning to their homes. Some stood beside cars backed up on the highway and waved Hezbollah flags.

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi were both headed to Switzerland for talks, Axios said on Friday, as a ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to revive efforts to turn an interim Iran war pact ​into a lasting regional deal, Reuters reported.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after escalating fighting cast doubt over U.S.-Iran talks critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz ‌and stabilising oil supplies.

That followed a 14-point memorandum the two sides signed this week to halt fighting and open a 60-day window to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, as well as other thorny issues needed to forge a more durable deal.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance canceled plans on Thursday to travel to Switzerland for the talks, however, amid rising tension in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran.

With the ceasefire in place, Witkoff is heading to Switzerland to join Jared Kushner, President ​Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who is already there, Axios said. Araqchi plans to travel there on Saturday, it added.

The development may signal that both sides intend to begin technical negotiations aimed at securing a permanent ​truce.

The White House did not respond to questions about Witkoff’s travel.

A senior U.S. official said the ceasefire took effect around 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) in Lebanon following an ⁠exchange of fire, adding that negotiators for the United States and Qatar had worked out the agreement with help from Iran, read the report.

Two sources from Hezbollah and a senior Israeli official confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters.

“If Hezbollah does not ​attack us, then for us it is not a time of war,” the Israeli official said, adding that Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied an area along its northern border.

Two Lebanese security ​sources said Israel had carried out a dozen airstrikes in the first hour of the ceasefire but none were recorded after 5 p.m.

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes after midnight into Friday had killed 47 people and wounded 97, while the Israeli military said four soldiers had been killed in an incident in Lebanon, without giving further details.

The conflict in Lebanon could weigh on negotiations because ending fighting there is a condition for the broader U.S.-Iran accord.

Following Wednesday’s signing of the memorandum of understanding, preparations ​for technical talks at the Swiss mountaintop resort of Buergenstock were well advanced when the White House said on Thursday that Vance would not attend.

The Swiss foreign ministry said the talks had been postponed but Switzerland stood ready ​to facilitate them and preparatory work was continuing.

The broad interim deal requires the United States, Iran and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Israel, left out of the talks, says ‌it is ⁠not party to the deal.

Araqchi, in a telephone call with his Pakistani counterpart on Friday, said the United States would be responsible for any violation of its commitments under the deal, including ending the fighting in Lebanon, his ministry said.

Lebanon was sucked into the regional war when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2, prompting it to launch an offensive against the group and invade the south of the country.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest Israeli attacks but said the escalation would not hinder efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Aoun and reiterated the need to disarm ​Hezbollah, while reaffirming U.S. support for a “fully sovereign” Lebanese state.

It ​said they also discussed holding a next round ⁠of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Washington from June 23 to June 25. The Lebanese presidency said a comprehensive ceasefire was a fundamental pillar for these talks.

The Iran war, which began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli air attacks on Iran, has killed at least 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. It also ​pushed up energy prices, stoking inflation worldwide.

Brent crude ticked higher on Friday, but was set for a weekly fall of about 8% after the Lebanon ceasefire, and oil ​shipments through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz picked up after the signing of this week’s deal.

The strait carried nearly a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before it was blockaded by Iran during the war.

The body set up by Iran to manage the strait said on Friday it would waive planned fees during the interim deal’s negotiation period.

The MoU foresees relief for Iran from economic sanctions, the unfreezing of assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediate U.S. waivers for its exports ⁠of oil. It ​also provides for a $300-billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.

Trump again defended the deal after criticism in Washington, including some ​from Republican allies in Congress who question whether he conceded too much to end a war unpopular with most Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.

“The War has diminished Iran!” he wrote on social media on Friday, adding, “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They ​are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not 10 cents!”

Switzerland said U.S. talks with Iranian negotiators on a pact to end the Middle East conflict, would not take place on Friday, as Vice President JD Vance dropped plans to travel to Geneva, adding to uncertainty whether a lasting truce can be ​found, Reuters reported.

“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the White House spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday night. Vance and the U.S. delegation had been ready ‌to depart as soon as plans were finalised.

The talks, set for the mountaintop resort of Burgenstock, would not take place, Switzerland’s foreign ministry confirmed, but gave no details.

There was no immediate response from Iran, which had earlier said it was ready to begin technical talks after Wednesday’s 14-point accord extended a tenuous ceasefire by at least 60 days.

Iran’s negotiators first needed to see signs of the U.S. implementing the interim deal, and there was no confirmation its delegation would travel to Geneva, the semi-official Tasnim ​news agency said before Vance’s Thursday announcement.

U.S. officials had also said they would hold a formal signing ceremony for the U.S.-Iran agreement in Switzerland, but Iran’s foreign ministry had cast doubt on ​the plan, calling it unnecessary after both countries’ presidents signed the pact.

The war, which began on February 28 with U.S. and Israel air attacks on Iran, has ⁠killed at least 7,000 people, sent energy prices soaring and shaken global markets.

Israel, left out of the peace talks, has distanced itself from the U.S.-Iran accord and kept up fighting against the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, also raising questions about whether ​the agreement would hold.

In Washington, some of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican allies in Congress questioned whether he had conceded too much in order to end the conflict, unpopular with most Americans in the run-up to ​mid-term elections in November, read the report.

Trump had sworn to end the war only with Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”

But the memorandum signed with Iran instead provides relief from economic sanctions, unfreezes assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediate U.S. waivers for its exports of oil.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Trump had signed the deal “out of desperation” and signalled that approaching talks over Iran’s nuclear program, among Trump’s stated reasons for starting the war, would not be easy.

“If the American side wants to be too demanding, we ​will not accept it,” he said in a message.

The deal gives negotiators 60 days to agree on the status of Iran’s nuclear program, unless an extension is agreed, and set up a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran ​and other financial incentives.

Vance said Washington would also seek to limit Iran’s long-range missiles.

The growing cost of the war also drew the spotlight, as the U.S. defence department told lawmakers it needed $80 billion to cover the costs and some ‌unrelated bills, the ⁠Wall Street Journal said.

When the U.S. and Israel launched the war nearly four months ago, Trump said he aimed to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities to ensure it could never develop such weapons.

He also sought to end Tehran’s ability to strike its neighbours, prevent it from backing allied anti-Israel militants in the region and make it possible for Iranians to topple their theocratic government.

None of those objectives had been met when Trump signed the agreement, in which Iran restated its decades-long assertion not get or develop nuclear weapons, a position doubted by a succession of U.S. presidents, Reuters reported.

It also agreed to the onsite “down blending” of its highly enriched uranium stockpile and inspections by the International Atomic ​Energy Agency as a Non-Proliferation Treaty member, rejecting Trump’s ​wish to remove the material from the country.

U.S. ⁠officials say the negotiations could still yield a strong agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, aiming to better one dating from 2015 between Iran, the U.S. and other countries that Trump tore up in his first term.

But critics say Iran is in a stronger position now, having withstood a superpower attack, demonstrated its control of the Strait ​of Hormuz and gained valuable waivers to financial sanctions.

Iran has said it will still exert control over Hormuz in partnership with Oman, its neighbour across ​the critical waterway, and intends ⁠to charge ships service fees that did not exist before the war, although not during the 60-day talks.

Oil prices dipped on Friday as prospects brightened for more supply after tankers began moving through the reopening Strait, which had carried nearly a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war.

In Lebanon, where more than a million people have been displaced by the fighting, fresh Israeli strikes on Friday killed at least 15, the state ⁠news agency NNA ​said, in attacks Israel said were directed at Hezbollah targets.

That raised doubt about how far Trump will go to force his ​wartime ally to halt an offensive he has now pledged to end.

The deal calls for “permanent termination” of the war in Lebanon, but Israel has said it has no intention of withdrawing, instead depicting an expanded occupation zone in a new map.

Trump has become openly critical of ​Israel’s operations in Lebanon, opening one of the biggest rifts between the two countries in decades.