Mediator nations join formal discussions on end-of-war MOU implementation

US Vice President JD Vance. [AFP]
US Vice President JD Vance. [AFP]

The United States and Iran launched formal negotiations Sunday in Switzerland over the implementation of their end-of-war memorandum of understanding, 70 days after talks collapsed without agreement in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11-12.

Delegations led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, along with representatives from mediating nations Pakistan and Qatar, opened talks Sunday morning at the Bürgenstock Resort in Switzerland. The US side included Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, and senior adviser Jared Kushner. Iran sent a delegation heavy with economic officials — Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati and Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Bovard.

The two delegations held separate morning sessions with the mediating countries before a four-party plenary session scheduled for the afternoon. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the talks were planned as a one-day event, but Vance told reporters before departing Saturday that he expected "about two days of negotiations" and hoped to make progress on nuclear issues and a Lebanon truce. That raised the possibility of overnight talks, and Swiss authorities extended security restrictions around the venue through Tuesday in preparation.

Iran's Foreign Ministry drew a clear line, saying the negotiations were intended "to demand the other side fulfill its obligations," and signaled it would first review the MOU's preconditions — including an end to military operations on all fronts including Lebanon and the lifting of US maritime blockades and sanctions. Baghaei said the "Zionist regime (Israel) continues to violate its commitments in Lebanon" and that the issue would be a central topic at Sunday's talks. He added that the agenda also includes the issuance of permits for Iranian oil sales and the release of frozen assets.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also traveled to Switzerland to address the key sticking point of denuclearization. Grossi said on X, formerly Twitter, that he met Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to exchange views on the situation in Iran and the IAEA's future role. Under Article 8 of the end-of-war MOU, the two countries agreed to dilute Iran's enriched material stockpiles on-site under IAEA supervision.

The first working-level talks had originally been scheduled for June 19 but were postponed after Iran raised objections over Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. Under the MOU, the two sides must reach a final agreement within 60 days of signing and have it approved by a UN Security Council resolution. The US government considers June 18 — the day after the two leaders signed the MOU — as the start of the negotiating period, setting the deadline for a final agreement at Aug. 16.


hwshin@heraldcorp.com