- US, Iran to hold technical-level talks in Bürgenstock today.
- Pakistan, Qatar to mediate Iran-US negotiations: FO.
- Trump, Pezeshkian signed preliminary peace deal on June 15.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir departed for Switzerland to attend technical-level talks between the US and Iran in Bürgenstock.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, both leaders will participate in the discussions scheduled for June 21, to be held as a follow-up to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) previously signed between Tehran and Washington.
The statement further said that PM Shehbaz Sharif is accompanied by a high-level delegation during the visit to Switzerland.
Prior to their departure, the Foreign Office said that technical-level talks between the US and Iran will be held today in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, as Islamabad stepped up diplomacy to keep the peace process on track.
“Representatives of the United States and Iran, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, will participate in the discussions,” it detailed.
According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan will continue to “facilitate the process in its role as mediator” to advance the understandings reached between Tehran and Washington under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
The statement comes days after the United States and Iran electronically signed the MoU aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump announced the signing on June 15, saying the agreement included provisions on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later signed the Islamabad MoU as mediator, formally sealing the deal.
Vance heads to Switzerland
US Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Switzerland for talks with Iran on Sunday and told reporters on Saturday that he hoped to “make progress on the nuclear issue” and “the Lebanon ceasefire issue.”
“Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there (in Lebanon), and things are slowing down a little bit,” Vance told reporters before leaving for Switzerland. “It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that you know Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian delegation, named “Minab 168”, led by Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.
Earlier, Iran said that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, jolting a fragile US-Iran agreement just as negotiators headed to Switzerland to try to salvage efforts to end the Middle East war.
Follow-up talks had been planned in Switzerland on Friday, but were postponed at the last minute after Israel launched deadly strikes in Lebanon.
— Additional input from Reuters and AFP
