On Again

After days of doubt, the U.S. and Iran began direct peace talks in Switzerland yesterday.

Talks were supposed to begin Friday, but neither side showed up due to continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah (an Iran-funded militant group) in Lebanon. The deal calls for a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, but Israel was not included in the peace talks and insists its conflict in Lebanon is separate from the war in Iran.

In response, Iran said it had re-closed the Strait of Hormuz, a statement disputed by Washington, who said “Iran doesn’t control the Strait. Traffic continues to flow.”

But the tides have already turned back. Israel and Hezbollah have re-committed to a ceasefire, and Vice President Vance landed in Switzerland yesterday morning to begin negotiations with an Iranian delegation.

Verse to consider when maybes are multiplying in your own corner of the world: “The person who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (CSB) (read full passage)