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Vice President JD Vance reports that Iranian peace talks are progressing well, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier releases a new rule on the sale of 7-OH.
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.
"The final deal is the house," Vance told reporters after initial talks with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. "We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people."
Iran noted "major progress" to end the fighting in Lebanon and called that the first real test of the negotiations.
The mediation effort in Switzerland, which started Sunday and stretched into early Monday, had rocky moments. But the talks also led to some agreements, mediators said, as technical talks continue this week.
In other developments, the U.S. Treasury issued a 60-day license waiving sanctions on Iranian oil as part of the interim agreement to end the war. The license authorizes the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil. It will last through Aug. 21.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited the "ongoing productive talks in Switzerland" in a post on X announcing the license.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier visited Tampa on Monday to talk about new rules related to 7-OH, the chemical that naturally occurs in kratom. While it is in the plant itself in trace amounts, heavily concentrated extracts of 7-OH have been sold in locations across Florida, including at gas stations and vape shops.
Uthmeier said Monday that it’s time to tighten the restrictions on the 7-OH extract.
“Today I signed an emergency rule because these dangerous concentrated 7-OH products present an imminent hazard to the public safety of Floridians — especially our children and teens,” Uthmeier said. “By expanding the rule to include new 7-OH-related compounds to Schedule I, we are removing these addictive poisons from store shelves, protecting families, and holding manufacturers and sellers accountable.”
The new rule now reclassifies 7-OH as a “Schedule One” drug, which can lead to felony arrests and convictions. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo stressed that the move is only related to 7-OH.
“I feel like it’s important. First, just to note that, you know, this isn’t about kratom," Ladapo said. "Some people will try and conflate restrictions on 7 with some war against kratom. And I want to be clear that I don’t feel that way. I don’t think that’s the intention at all. And it’s not the outcome of this, this new rule that the attorney general is talking about.”
According to the Attorney General’s office, the new rule has some key provisions:
The new rule takes effect immediately.
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