US and Iran wrap second day of talks after rough start

OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) — Top negotiators for the United States and Iran wrapped up a lengthy first round of talks Monday aimed at solidifying a permanent end to the war between the countries.

Mediation efforts in Switzerland It started on Sunday and had some tough moments. However, this also led to some agreements between the two parties.

Mediators Qatar and Pakistan welcomed the “encouraging progress” made during the talks, with Iran and the US agreeing to form a “de-conflict cell” to resolve the conflict. He’s fighting in Lebanon. A senior US diplomat claimed progress had been made on several fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to achieve peace. Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipmentsremains open and the ceasefire continues in Southern Lebanon.

However, the talks between the USA and Iran, accompanied by Qatari and Pakistani officials, were shaken by the harsh statements of the USA. President Donald TrumpHe was blasting comments that irritated Iranians from a mountain resort near Lake Lucerne, thousands of kilometers from where the talks were taking place in Switzerland.

Iranian state media said the talks were paused after “a derogatory message from the US President was broadcast.” State media said the Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiation area. The senior US diplomat, who briefed reporters on the ongoing talks on condition of anonymity, said late Sunday that the Iranians remained on the ground and negotiations were continuing.

Iranian state television reported on Monday that the Iranian delegation left the summit and headed to the airport in Zurich to return to Tehran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “never back down on the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media, and Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should be careful about what he said and threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the news channel’s reporters.

Trump also continued to warn against Iran on social media, posting the following while negotiators were working: “Iran must immediately stop its highly paid PROxies in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we will hit Iran hard again, just like we did last week, harder!!!”

Among the chief negotiators of the United States J.D. Vance, vice president; special envoy Steve Witkoff, And Jared Kushnerthe president’s son-in-law. Iran is represented Muhammad Bagher Kalibaf, Iranian parliament speaker and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

It’s unclear when Vance will leave Switzerland, but he said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday that he expects to stay just “a day or two.” Kushner and Witkoff handle most of the technical details on behalf of the U.S. delegation.

Pakistan and Qatar said in a joint statement that high-level talks have ended and technical negotiations will continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week. In the statement, it was stated that the parties agreed on the establishment of a “communication line” that will ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the establishment of a mechanism to end the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

While the US did not make any comment, Iran praised the work of the mediators.

Araghchi wrote that there were Pakistani and Qatari mediators in X “We have made great progress to end the Lebanon War”.” He added that the first “real test” of the negotiations will be whether the mechanism is successful in stopping the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The top US diplomat said among the topics discussed were Iran’s messages regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian military said it closed on Saturday in response to ongoing conflict in Lebanon. US Central Command disputed the claim that Iran had closed the strait again.

interim agreement The resolution to end the conflict in Iran, signed by U.S. and Iranian leaders last week, outlines a 60-day period for negotiators to determine Iran’s future. Tehran’s nuclear program There are concerns that Iran wants to use it for military purposes, a claim it denies. Among other thorny issues, the fate of frozen Iranian assets is also on the agenda.

Although the talks will cover a wide range of complex issues, Iran wants to focus primarily on the conflict in Lebanon.

A renewed ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to be holding on Saturday, and the Israeli military announced Monday morning that movement restrictions for those living near the Israel-Lebanon border would be lifted. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is party to the US-Iran agreement.

There was cautious calm in Lebanon on Monday, with no Israeli attacks reported overnight after a quiet day on Sunday. Hezbollah has also not announced any attacks against Israeli forces since Saturday.

The conflict in Lebanon has been the longest lull since the Israeli-Hezbollah war broke out on March 2.

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Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Abby Sewell in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this story.