US Vice President JD Vance, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani addressed the press on Sunday at the quadralateral negotiations with Iran in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Opening his remarks, the American Vice President said that much has already been accomplished with the signing of the memorandum of understanding, "The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together. Can we turn over a 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 certainly something that can happen."
He thanked the mediators from Pakistan and Qatar and praised US President Donald Trump's leadership and desire "to see a Middle East that is much different 10 years from now than it was 10 years ago."
Vance explained the US goals: "Through diplomacy, through working together to transform the Middle East, where Iran and the Gulf States have been at war with each other, or at least had very unfriendly relations, Iran has been a driver of regional instability. Now we see a future where everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity for all."
He noted the benefits of the deal already being felt in the US, including lower gas prices.
According to Vance, "This is a historic meeting. Never before, outside of the last few months, has the Iranian and American leadership met at such a high level. What the President has asked us to do is to turn over a new leaf. To transform our relationship with the people of Iran and 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 US is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country. That is certainly our goal."
Asked about Israel's operations in Lebanon, US Vice President Vance claimed that "we've seen great progress in the past couple of days in ensuring that the ceasefire in Lebanon holds."
According to Vance, "These things are always a little bit messy. If you go back to three months ago and compare it to three weeks ago, great progress has been made. Between three weeks ago and three days ago, additional progress has been made."
"The President has committed us to see a full regional ceasefire. We found great partners in the Qataris and Pakistanis, our friends in Israel. We're all working for regional peace. There will, of course, be disagreements sometimes on precisely how to get there, but I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There's still some additional wood to chop, but we'll continue working on it," the Vice President added.
When a journalist posed a question about ending what she referred to as a "genocide" in Lebanon, Vance did not negate the accusation, but said that the US was doing more than any other country to end the conflict. "Peace is never easy, peace always requires a little work, it always requires a little give-and-take, but the President of the US is committed not just to peace between the US and Iran, he is committed to a regional peace, which is why we're here working so hard settling our issues."