Direct talks between the United States and Iran began today, Sunday, in the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, with the participation of Qatar and Pakistan, the two mediating countries, amid hopes that these meetings will contribute to reaching a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that addresses the issues contained in the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif confirmed that intense diplomatic efforts led to the meeting between Washington and Tehran in Burgenstock, expressing his aspiration to produce tangible results that enhance the chances of peace. He added: “We are living an important day in the process of achieving world peace.”
Pakistani state television reported earlier that the technical meetings began with the participation of members of the delegations of the four countries, indicating that these meetings may continue until Monday.
The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the completion of the arrival of the delegations of the United States, Iran, and mediators to Switzerland, in preparation for the start of the talks.
New page
J.D. Vance, US Vice President, praised the pivotal role played by the Prime Minister of Qatar in reaching this stage of the dialogue, noting that President Donald Trump assigned the relevant US team to work on reaching diplomatic solutions to a number of files.
Vance stressed that achieving peace has never been an easy task, stressing that it requires continuous efforts, and that President Donald Trump is committed to supporting regional peace.
Vance said, “Trump asked us to start a new page to change our relationship with the Iranian people,” pointing out that these discussions represent the beginning of technical negotiations that may not address all the points of disagreement, but they constitute a historic opportunity to sit together for the first time.
The US Vice President stressed the aspiration to bring about a lasting change in the nature of relations in the Middle East, and to open new horizons for cooperation, noting that there are indications of the possibility of building a common future in which everyone contributes to promoting peace and prosperity.
Vance explained that tangible progress has been made in cooperation with both Qatar and Pakistan, reiterating his satisfaction with the positive developments in Lebanon, pointing out that the past three days have witnessed great progress regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon.
He pointed to a decline in the prices of oil derivatives, while raising a question about the possibility of achieving a permanent transformation in Middle East relations.
Article 13
Iranian television reported, citing informed sources, that the Swiss meeting focused on discussing the implementation of Article 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding, while giving priority to the Lebanon file.
The sources indicated that the first round of the Burgenstock talks did not witness any discussions related to the nuclear file.
It was Fares Agency reported Quoting an informed source in the Iranian negotiating team, the first round of quadripartite negotiations in Switzerland has ended.
The source added that the quadripartite meeting was suspended after about 80 minutes of talks, in order to allow internal consultations among the participating delegations.
No group photo
For its part, Tasnim Agency quoted a source close to the Iranian negotiating delegation as saying that the delegation refused to participate in a group photo with the American delegation during the four-way meeting.
The director of Al Jazeera’s office in Tehran, Nour al-Din al-Daghir, also reported that the Iranian side does not show interest in the media symbolism of the ongoing negotiations in Switzerland, as it is not in a hurry to take a “souvenir photo” with the American delegation, unlike what happened after the 2015 agreement in Vienna.
He explained that the closed session held in the Bürgenstock resort witnessed a direct meeting between the Iranian and American delegations, with face-to-face talks being held between the two parties.
He pointed out that this meeting lays the foundation for a new phase of bilateral negotiations, which may lead to positive results, especially in light of the active mediation role of both Qatar and Pakistan.
He added that Tehran sees the Qatari mediation as an influential element, as it contributed to dissolving many of the outstanding points between the two sides, paved the way for reaching a memorandum of understanding, and also played an important role in pushing the Iranian delegation to participate in the Swiss negotiations.
For its part, the American CNN network quoted a diplomatic source as saying that the ongoing negotiations in Switzerland address the war in Lebanon, the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s nuclear stockpile.
The American network said that the Quartet meeting in Switzerland was suspended after 80 minutes of talks for internal consultations, noting that the Swiss meetings “began as an open dialogue characterized by a great deal of frankness.”
Comprehensive agreement
For his part, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said while attending the summit talks today, “This is just the beginning and we are working for a better future for our region.”
Earlier, the State of Qatar expressed its hope that the meetings would pave the way for reaching a comprehensive and permanent agreement that addresses all the issues contained in the memorandum of understanding to end the war.
Majid Al-Ansari, advisor to the Prime Minister and official spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the participating parties formed specialized technical groups to negotiate the terms of the final agreement, including the various files addressed in the memorandum of understanding, in addition to follow-up teams concerned with implementing what has been reached and monitoring the progress achieved to reach the conclusion of a final agreement.
He added that these steps reflect the parties’ commitment to continuing the negotiating process in good faith and working to reach a comprehensive and sustainable agreement.
The American website Axios quoted an informed diplomatic source that American and Iranian negotiators held a tripartite meeting with Qatari mediators.
The website added, quoting an informed source, that US Vice President J.D. Vance and a number of American negotiators met with their Iranian counterparts at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland.
Two regional sources told Axios that the United States wants the first round of talks to conclude with an Iranian invitation to UN inspectors to visit its nuclear sites that were bombed by the United States and Israel.
The two sources added that the United States is prepared, in return, to grant Iran access to some of its frozen funds.
Various fronts
In this context, Iranian television reported that the meetings that the Iranian delegation will hold with the delegations of Qatar and Pakistan will determine the mechanism for holding the main meeting with the American delegation, indicating that the consultations will also address ways to end the war on various fronts, including Lebanon.
IRNA quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei as saying that today’s meeting comes within the framework of following up on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding concluded with the United States.
Baghaei explained that the Bürgenstock meetings will last for one day, and include two morning and evening sessions, pointing out that the Iranian delegation will hold bilateral meetings with the Qatari and Pakistani delegations in their capacity as mediators in the discussions.
He added that the agenda also includes a joint meeting that includes the delegations of Iran and the United States, along with representatives of Qatar and Pakistan, as part of the efforts aimed at advancing the implementation of the memorandum of understanding and discussing the issues on the agenda, stressing that implementing any document is more important than simply signing it.
Lebanon leads the talks
The Lebanese file tops the agenda of the talks, as CNN quoted an informed diplomat as saying that an emergency session devoted to Lebanon was included at the forefront of the discussions, to be the first issues discussed by the American and Iranian delegations.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the start of negotiations according to the memorandum of understanding is subject to the implementation of 5 items, one of which relates to ending the war on all fronts. She added, “The Zionist entity continues to violate its obligations, and this issue is the main focus of today’s talks.”
For his part, US Vice President J.D. Vance said, before heading to Switzerland, that making progress towards a ceasefire in Lebanon represents one of the main goals of the discussions, in light of the renewed Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory.
This comes at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the cessation of military operations in Lebanon, while emphasizing that Israeli forces will remain in their current deployment locations, while Hezbollah insists on linking the cessation of its attacks to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.
Netanyahu also said today, “We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon as long as this is necessary to protect the residents of the north,” stressing at the same time that he will not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons, regardless of the political developments.
In parallel, Israel continues to intensify its raids on southern Lebanon, and the confrontations that have erupted since the announcement of the US-Iranian agreement have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, including 47 Lebanese and six Israeli soldiers, one of whom is a high-ranking officer.
First official communication
For its part, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the meetings represent the first official communication between the parties since the signing of the memorandum of understanding, considering that they constitute an important station for discussing implementation mechanisms and pushing the agreed upon understandings towards more advanced stages.
She added that the Pakistani delegation will hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the talks to confirm Islamabad’s commitment to dialogue and a balanced approach, and to support efforts aimed at completing the necessary procedures in preparation for signing the memorandum.
In this context, the Pakistani Interior Minister expressed his optimism about the results of the ongoing talks, saying that “things are moving in the right direction,” expressing his hope that the Swiss meetings will lead to positive and constructive results.
The Iranian Interior Minister also expressed his optimism about the course of the talks, stressing that the atmosphere is positive and that work is progressing in the right direction, noting that the resumption of negotiations in Switzerland aims to move forward in implementing the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the United States.
The talks come in the wake of the framework agreement signed by the United States and Iran last week, as the two sides seek, within a period of 60 days, to reach a final agreement on the technical issues related to the Iranian nuclear program, in a step that has broad implications for the security of the region and the global economy.
However, the negotiation process faces increasing challenges due to the military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in addition to tensions related to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important strategic corridors for global energy trade.
Vance was scheduled to arrive in Switzerland on Friday, but his visit was postponed as a result of developments in the security situation in Lebanon and the Iranian delegation postponed his participation before later confirming his attendance at the negotiations.
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz file, the US Central Command confirmed that navigation in the Strait continues normally, denying the validity of the Revolutionary Guard’s statement that announced its closure in response to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Vance also stressed that huge oil shipments had crossed the Strait in recent days without interruption.
