Vice President JD Vance on Monday said his lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a ‘good foundation for a successful final deal’ as they seek a permanent end to the war that the U.S. and Israel began in late February.

War and Negotiations

Vance and U.S. officials claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of ‘mechanisms’ to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments, stays open and to address fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, where a ceasefire appeared to be holding.

The interim deal to end the fighting in Iran, signed last week by the leaders of the U.S. and Iran, sets a 60-day period for negotiations on key issues, including the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that Iran wants to use it for military purposes, a claim the country denies.

US President’s Comments

U.S. President Donald Trump talked up the efforts to keep the strait open to create ‘an oil gusher’ as he stressed that the key to resolving the war was ‘respect’ from Iran. ‘As long as they respect us, I don’t want to use the word fear because that’s an inappropriate word, but as long as they respect us, we’re not going to have any trouble,’ Trump said from the Oval Office.

The U.S. Treasury issued a 60-day license on Monday waiving sanctions on Iranian oil as part of the interim agreement. Notably, the license allows Iranian oil to be imported into the U.S., which has not imported significant amounts of Iranian oil since the 1990s.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.