Zurich, June 21: Senior delegations from the United States and Iran met on Sunday at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock for high-level talks aimed at advancing peace efforts in West Asia.
The discussions, known as the Lake Lucerne Summit, were led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior Qatari leaders acting as mediators.
The talks focused on implementing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The agreement established a 60-day negotiation period to address key regional issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, international sanctions on Tehran, and Israel’s military operations in Lebanon. Sharif signed the MoU as a guarantor.
Technical negotiations were originally scheduled to begin on Friday but were delayed due to renewed clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Sunday’s meeting marked the first direct high-level US-Iran engagement in ten weeks, following unsuccessful talks held in Islamabad in April.
Other participants included US envoy Steve Witkoff, adviser Jared Kushner, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, diplomat Esmaeil Baghaei, and Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir. Ahead of the talks, Vance described the meeting as “historic” and expressed hope that both sides could reshape regional relations and achieve lasting peace.
Iranian officials stressed that successful implementation of the MoU requires an end to conflicts across the region, particularly in Lebanon.
Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar also voiced optimism that the summit could produce a framework for peace, stability, and economic progress.
Lebanon and Iran’s nuclear programme are expected to dominate the negotiations. The talks are part of broader diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions involving the US, Iran, and Israel and to transform the fragile interim agreement into a durable peace settlement.
Discussions also touched on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route, amid conflicting claims over its operational status and future security.
Vance seeks to get US, Iran negotiations back on track
US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday is meeting with top Iranian officials as the White House looks to build out the interim deal to end the war in Iran reached by the two sides last week.
Vance was expected to meet with Tehran’s negotiators, including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, at a Swiss mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar were also in the room for the direct engagement.
Iranian officials appeared to avoid being seen during a brief appearance by Vance in front of reporters before the start of the talks. IRIB, the Iranian state broadcaster, announced the four-way talks had begun shortly after Vance delivered a statement to media and took a couple of questions from reporters.
The US side is looking to get Iran locked into negotiations over its nuclear program.
But the on-again, off-again conflict in Lebanon, between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, continues to threaten to derail the effort for the US to win concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program and keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
Iran’s main focus during negotiations on Sunday would be the ongoing war between Israel and Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state news agency ahead of the meeting with Vance. (AP)
