A gesture that represents the situation: JD Vance on the Bürgenstock.Image: keystone
analysis
High-ranking representatives from Iran and the USA met on Sunday high above Lake Lucerne. A threat from US President Donald Trump led to a confusing situation.
June 21, 2026, 7:56 p.mJune 21, 2026, 8:03 p.m
After the failed meeting on Friday, the Bürgenstock in the canton of Nidwalden has become the epicenter of world diplomacy. Heavenly harbingers foreshadowed this. On Saturday, helicopters flew through the skies of central Switzerland again and again, and the same picture on Sunday morning. Delegations from the USA, Iran and the mediating states Pakistan and Qatar gradually arrived at the Bürgenstock resort, located at 874 meters above sea level. The best-known participant in the talks, US Vice President JD Vance, landed early in the morning at the military airfield in Emmen LU, accompanied by his wife Usha. From there we went with a car convoy to the Bürgenstock, a popular excursion destination in the region.
However, leisure activities were impossible around the “Lake Lucerne Summit,” as the meeting is called in English. Bikers, hikers and golfers had to look for alternatives; the tennis hall in the Bürgenstock Resort was converted into a media center, with Swiss chocolate at your discretion. The military and police cordoned off the town and converted it into a fortress in a tour de force. Numerous police officers from other cantons supported their Nidwalden colleagues. Early in the morning, media workers passed through several checkpoints and were subjected to security checks similar to those at the airport. A military dog sniffed suitcases containing camera equipment.
Hardly anything was made public about the conversations in the posh hotel rooms. Media professionals from all over the world kept their audiences entertained with live broadcasts. The view of Lake Lucerne with Lucerne and the surrounding area or the mountains with the Stanserhorn and Buochserhorn served as an idyllic alternative to the news lull in the posh hotel, which belongs to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund.
In the morning, talks between the hostile US and Iran as well as mediators Pakistan and Qatar revolved around questions such as: Who enters the negotiating room first? What will the seating arrangement be? Who is talking to whom? Maybe even shake hands? Supposed banalities require the utmost sensitivity. Iran, which brutally cracks down on domestic political opposition and denies Israel’s right to exist, distrusts Washington. The USA has virtually eliminated the entire leadership in the war against the regime.
Optimistic JD Vance
JD Vance caused the first activity when he addressed the media via video conference from a room in the luxury resort at around 3 p.m. He was flanked by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Qatari head of state Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Vance praised both for their good offices.
JD Vance with the mediators from Pakistan (center) and Qatar.Image: keystone
The vice president exuded great optimism even before the material discussions began on the 14-point plan to end the war between Iran and the United States. Never before have such high-ranking representatives of the United States and Iran met, he said. The Iranian side was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also at the table. At JD Vance’s side were Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for negotiations with Iran, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Vance admitted that not all discrepancies will be resolved. But we are much further along now than we were three months, three weeks, three days ago. If Iran gave up its nuclear ambitions and stopped destabilizing the Gulf region, new economic prospects would open up. “We want peace and prosperity throughout the region,” emphasized Vance. He also meant the situation in Lebanon. A ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia is a crucial point for Tehran. Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz again following Israeli airstrikes over the weekend.
On Sunday, Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian announced from afar that his country was ready to give the USA a written guarantee that Iran would not build a nuclear bomb in the future. He left it open whether such an assurance would also be made on the Bürgenstock. At the same time, Peseschkian insisted on the right to stick to the nuclear program and enrich uranium.
Cassis meets with all representatives
Switzerland does not act as a direct mediator in the negotiations, but still plays a key role in bringing about the high-level meeting. Since 1980, our country has exercised a protective power mandate for the USA in Iran. This contributes to Tehran trusting Bern. As part of the diplomatic efforts by Qatar and Pakistan, it soon became clear that Iran would only agree to a meeting in Europe on Swiss soil. International Geneva was initially planned as the venue, then those responsible switched to the Bürgenstock. The advantage: Switzerland was able to draw on the experience it had gained at the Ukraine conference two years ago.
The Iranian Foreign Minister with our Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.Image: keystone
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis held bilateral talks at Bürgenstock on Sunday with all representatives of the parties to the conflict, including his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and JD Vance. Switzerland supports the peace process and is ready to facilitate future meetings at a technical level. The talks on the Bürgenstock are expected to deepen over the next 60 days and lead to a comprehensive peace. So it’s about how the agreement between the USA and Iran can be made more concrete.
However, it is unclear whether the talks will continue on Monday. The Iranian delegation announced its departure from Bürgenstock early on. During the course of the day, several Iranian sources said that the delegation had put the negotiations on hold completely. The reason was statements made by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social channel. He threatened to hit Iran even harder if it did not stop supporting Hezbollah. The situation remained unclear. However, according to the US news portal Axios, the Iranians continued the talks at Bürgenstock.
How high the security costs will be will only be known after the negotiations have been concluded. Who pays the bill and to what extent is the subject of ongoing discussions. The canton of Nidwalden is confident “that an amicable solution will be reached with the federal government and the inviting states,” as it announced on Sunday. (schweiztoday.ch)
Video: watson/nina bürge