Iran’s top diplomat said late Sunday that peace negotiations are underway Switzerland have produced “huge progress” despite US President Donald Trump’s military threats and Israel’s continued attack on Lebanonboth of which have risked derailing high-stakes talks.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, praised “hardworking mediation by Pakistan and Qatar” in securing commitments to create a “deconfliction cell” to ensure “the end of military operations in Lebanon,” as required under the recently signed agreement. memorandum of understanding (MOU).
Araghchi added that negotiators agreed to an end to the US blockade of Iran, the release of some of Iran’s frozen assets and a “major reconstruction and development plan” for Iran.
The Iranian delegation reportedly walked out of the Swiss negotiating venue on Sunday in response to Trump death threat Iranian diplomats and “take over” the Middle East country. The threats violated the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, which requires the parties to “refrain from the threat or use of force against each other.”
In a joint statement late Sunday, the governments of Pakistan AND Qatar said negotiators agreed on “a roadmap towards reaching a final agreement within 60 days, laying the groundwork for the immediate start of further technical talks.”
“In addition, a communication line has been established between the parties… to avoid incidents and miscommunication for the purpose of safe passage of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement continued. “The mediating parties will continue to do their utmost to ensure that the negotiations continue to take place in a constructive atmosphere with the aim of reaching a final agreement.”
The upbeat comments from Iran’s foreign minister and mediators came after the first round of official talks in Switzerland got off to a shaky start, with the Iranian delegation delaying its arrival due to a deadly barrage of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon late last week.
the leadership of Israel, which is is not a party to the peace negotiationshas refused to end its occupation of Lebanon, a major obstacle to a final deal to end the war against Iran that the US and Israel began in late February. Iran has said that The Trump administration must force the Israeli government to end its attack on Lebanon.
In one social media post on Sunday amid negotiations in Switzerland, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz DECLARING that “Israel has no intention of withdrawing from Beaufort, which is an integral part of the security zone in Lebanon and essential for the protection of the Galilee settlements and IDF forces.”
“As Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and I have made clear – Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon,” Katz added.
