ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The first round of talks between the United States and Iran since the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding began on Sunday in Switzerland.
“The State of Qatar, in its capacity as a mediator, announces the launch of the Lucerne Lake Summit and the first meeting of the High-Level Committee with the participation of representatives from the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the two mediator states, the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” said the Qatari foreign ministry in a statement.
It added that it hoped the meetings will lead to “a comprehensive and lasting agreement that addresses all aspects covered in the memorandum of understanding.”
Washington and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, days after initial electronic approval. The deal sets a two-month timeline for both sides to reach a permanent agreement.
Live footage from the summit showed US and Iranian delegations arriving at the meeting venue, marking the first publicly acknowledged direct diplomatic engagement between the two sides in this phase of negotiations.
Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry was cited in the statement as saying that “specialized technical and expert working groups have been formed to negotiate the provisions of the final agreement, which will cover all aspects of the memorandum of understanding.”
He further said that “monitoring groups have also been established to oversee implementation of the memorandum and track progress toward reaching the final agreement, reflecting the commitment of all parties to move forward in the negotiation process in good faith and with the aim of reaching a comprehensive and sustainable agreement.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of the summit, US President DJ Vance thanked Pakistan and Qatar for their mediation efforts, saying the US prefers a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The negotiations come against the backdrop of a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire in early April that halted a six-week war between the US, Israel and Iran that started in late February, while the first round of talks took place in Islamabad on April 11; no tangible progress was made, which led to heightened escalations between the two sides, specifically in the Strait of Hormuz.
