(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The United States and Iran held high-level negotiations in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday (June 21). The governments of Pakistan and Qatar, which mediated, confirmed on Monday (22nd) that the first day of talks had ended. According to a statement issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first day of negotiations had a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and made "exciting progress."
The statement pointed out that all parties agreed to establish a high-level committee to monitor the progress of negotiations. "The chief negotiators will report regularly to the high-level committee and lead working groups on nuclear, sanctions and other issues, as well as a tracking and dispute resolution group to ensure the effective implementation of the memorandum of understanding."
According to the armistice memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran last week, the two sides agreed to cease military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon; Iran should reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States would lift its naval blockade on Iran. Further negotiations will take place in the next 60 days, and during the talks in Switzerland on the 21st, the parties have decided to set up a communication channel to "avoid accidents and misunderstandings, and the goal is to enable safe passage of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz."
In addition to the parties participating in the Swiss talks, representatives of the Lebanese government will be included to establish a "deconfliction team" to ensure the end of the war in Lebanon.
However, it is still unclear whether this move will be enough to end the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah (Hezbollah). Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had just stated that Israeli troops would continue to be stationed in the safe zone in southern Lebanon until Israel determined that the threat was lifted; Hezbollah also refused to stop firing unless Israel agreed to withdraw its troops.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on the The United States has not immediately responded to this matter.
It is rumored that the Iranian representative was dissatisfied with Trump's remarks and left the venue angrily
On the first day of talks in Switzerland, the US side was led by Vice President JD Vance, while Iran's chief negotiator was Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. The two sides were at war with each other from the beginning of the negotiations.
As the negotiations began, Fox News reported that U.S. President Trump had warned Iranian officials that if the other side closed the Strait of Hormuz again, it would "lose the country."
In addition, Trump also expressed a strong stance on the "Real Community" platform: "Iran must immediately stop the proxies they spend a lot of money to support in Lebanon from continuing to cause trouble. If they don't comply, we will attack Iran violently again, just like last week, or even more forcefully!"
In response, Iranian representative Ghalibaf responded on the
It is worth noting that there is a gap between the statements of representatives of the United States and Iran on the status of the first day of negotiations. According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the Iranian delegation refused to return to the negotiation meeting due to dissatisfaction with U.S. President Trump's remarks on the 21st, relying solely on representatives from Pakistan and Qatar to send messages; Reuters quoted U.S. diplomats as saying that the Iranian delegation did not leave and the negotiations were continuing.
Previously on Saturday (20th), the Iranian military also stated that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again, citing Israel's continued attack on Lebanon and the United States' "lack of sincerity" in ending the war in Lebanon. The United States denies that the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, saying that shipping in the strait has not stopped.
Regarding the Swiss negotiations, U.S. Vice President Vance once said: "The question now is, how many things can we achieve together? Can we turn a new page?" However, Vance will only stay in Switzerland for a day or two before returning to the United States; lower-level working group talks will continue later this week.
