US Vice President JD Vance said he hopes Washington and Tehran can reset their relationship at the start of what he called "historic" talks in Switzerland on Sunday.
Vance, flanked by US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, was at the luxury Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne for talks with Tehan's negotiators on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt the Middle East war.
"This is a historic meeting," Vance said in the negotiation room, set up for the US team on one side and for the Iranian delegation on the other.
"The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together?
"Can we turn over a new leaf? Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently?
"Or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but it's certainly very much something that can happen?"
Standing alongside the leadership of Pakistan and Qatar in Switzerland, Vance praised the roles played by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, describing their contributions as commendable.
He also described Field Marshal Munir as an excellent military commander. “I have recently jokingly said that there are two very important people in my life. An Indian, my wife and a Pakistani, Field Marshal [Syed Asim] Munir.”
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were leading the talks for Tehran.
The discussions are being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
What Trump "has asked us to do is turn over new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran", said Vance.
Trump wants to "extend an outstretched hand that says to the people of Iran that if your leadership is willing to give up being a driver of regional instability, if they are willing to give up nuclear weapons ambitions for the long term, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country.
"That is certainly our goal," said Vance.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was flanked in the Swiss talks by Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as the mediators made opening remarks.
"I think we will have wonderful discussions which will lead to, hopefully, very productive results in times to come," said Sharif.
"Hopefully, when we go back to our homes, we'll have some wonderful paper in our hands which will promote peace, progress and prosperity around the globe."
The Iranian delegation did not address reporters in the room and at no point did Araghchi join Vance with the two mediating prime ministers to be photographed together.
Delegations from the United States and Iran met mediators from Pakistan in Switzerland ahead of Washington and Tehran's much-awaited technical talks.
First, the US delegations — led by Vice President JD Vance and including special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Right before their meeting, VP Vance told a reporter that he appreciates Pakistan's mediation in the nearly four-month-long war, which the US and Israel started on February 28 against Iran, and said: "We love Pakistan."
After this, the Iranian delegation — Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — met the Pakistani side, which included PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who has paid several visits to Iran recently.
— With additional input from AFP
