U.S., Iran agree on roadmap for final deal and plan to end military operations in Lebanon
The United States and Iran made progress at talks in Switzerland on Monday toward reaching a final agreement within 60 days, including an agreement to establish a committee and mechanism to end hostilities in Lebanon.
According to the joint statement made by the mediating parties of Qatar and Pakistan, “The Lake Lucerne Summit was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere. Encouraging progress was made, including the establishment of a mechanism for further technical discussions.”
Following the memorandum of understanding signed last week, the parties agreed to establish a “High Level Committee” that will provide political supervision of the mediation. The lead negotiators will report regularly to the committee and lead working groups on nuclear, sanctions and dispute resolution, according to the joint statement.
The parties also agreed to establish a “de-conflict” cell between the United States, Iran and Lebanon, to be facilitated by mediator countries, in order to ensure a complete cessation of military hostilities in Lebanon.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the talks made “great progress” and said that Tehran provided exemptions for oil and petrochemical exports, the lifting of the blockade in its ports, the release of some frozen assets and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan.
In a post in xAraghchi said Lebanon’s newly established de-escalation mechanism would be the deal’s “first real test” and underlined concerns that ongoing violence there could threaten broader diplomatic efforts.
Vice President JD Vance, who arrived in Switzerland on Sunday after postponing his planned departure on Friday due to logistical problems, led the US delegation in the talks.
A senior US diplomat involved in the talks dismissed reports that Iran had left the talks, telling reporters earlier in the day that both delegations were busy and that they expected talks to continue through the night.
“We have had robust discussions on all elements of the nuclear agreement. We plan to continue working on each of these issues and use today’s work as a starting point for ongoing technical discussions going forward,” the US official said.
“The topics of discussion included clarifying some of Iran’s confusing messages regarding the Bosphorus and establishing de-escalation mechanisms to ensure that the Bosphorus remains fully open. We also worked on de-escalation mechanisms and the implementation of the ceasefire in Southern Lebanon,” the official said.
According to the memorandum of understanding, both sides agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz free of charge for at least 60 days and to end all hostilities, including in Lebanon, where clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah continue.
Negotiations proceeded under a cloud of increasing tension. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Saturday that it would close the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
The US military denied these claims, stating that the waterway remained open and that “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.” Iran’s Tasnim news agency reportedly He said Iranian officials will keep the strait closed until a ceasefire is reached in Lebanon and sanctions on Iran’s oil sales are lifted.
Trump later wrote on Truth Social that “Iran must immediately stop its highly paid PROXYS from causing trouble in Lebanon,” referring to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“If they don’t do this, we will hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, but even harder!!!” Trump wrote.
Earlier Sunday, Vance expressed optimism about the talks despite Iran’s latest threat to close the strait.
He also downplayed the impact of violence in Lebanon and said progress was being made towards ending hostilities there. “These things are always a little complicated,” he said.
Despite Trump’s threat of possible military action, Vance said the US president “asks us to turn a new page to transform our relationship with the Iranian people.”
Vance also said negotiators are focused on securing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium to make it “virtually impossible” for Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program. He added that if Iran does not comply with the agreement, the United States will have significant economic influence.
Technical discussions are expected to continue throughout the week at the Bürgenstock facility as the parties work to reach a final agreement within 60 days.
—Emily Huang and Yun Li contributed to this report.
