No handshakes, no commemorative photos… Iran enters the Geneva negotiations with the Hormuz card
No handshakes, no commemorative photos… Iran enters the Geneva negotiations with the Hormuz card
2026-06-21
Shafaq News – Geneva
Iran began its talks with the United States in Switzerland on Sunday by refusing to shake hands with members of the American delegation or take a joint photo with them, while maintaining its position on the Strait of Hormuz and linking its reopening to a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim quoted a source close to the Iranian negotiating team as saying that the American delegation and the organizers of the negotiations had prepared to arrange a handshake and group photo between the two delegations at the beginning of the multilateral meeting.
The source added that the Iranian delegation refused to participate in these ceremonies, which prompted the American delegation to take pictures without the participation of the Iranian side, before the Iranian delegation entered the meeting hall.
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the source stressed that the strait “will not be opened without curbing Israel’s actions in Lebanon,” indicating Tehran’s continued linking of the implementation of regional understandings to halting the escalation on the Lebanese scene.
This coincided with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s confirmation that Western positions have changed recently, stressing that his country will not back down from its right to enrich uranium.
In response, US President Donald Trump told Pezeshkian that the Iranian president should “be careful what he says,” warning of the consequences of continuing this stance.
On Sunday, direct negotiations began in Switzerland between the American and Iranian delegations, headed by US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, with the participation of mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
According to Iranian state television, the negotiations are focused on implementing the terms of the recent memorandum of understanding, primarily establishing a ceasefire in Lebanon and releasing frozen Iranian assets, amid anticipation of the results of the first round of talks between the two sides.
shafaq.com
