US and Iran meet in Switzerland to negotiate end to conflicts

The North American delegation is led by the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, while the Iranians are led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

“I hope that we can make progress on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon. These are the two main issues that we must focus on. I am sure that the Iranians will also have issues that they want to address,” the US vice president told the press on Saturday (20) before boarding.

A few days ago, the expectation was that the meeting would seal the end of the conflict between the countries, with the signing of the memorandum of understanding intended to establish the basis for a definitive agreement.

But tension rose again in the region with Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the announcement of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Vance, however, said that “despite the headlines” about the situation in Lebanon, “the situation is improving and the violence is calming down a bit.”

“The big problem is that someone shoots and the other responds, creating a vicious circle in which it is necessary to stop shooting long enough for the ceasefire to maintain. That’s what we’re going to try to do,” he said about the content of the conversations.

Given the current scenario, Iran’s Foreign Minister demanded “compliance with the commitments” in the memorandum to begin negotiations.

Representatives from Pakistan and Qatar will also participate in the negotiations as mediators.

“We will have to continue managing the situation to guarantee the security of both Israel and Lebanon. That is the fundamental objective: to achieve the security of the entire region,” Vance declared before beginning the trip.

He reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “the entire team have been actively managing the situation in Lebanon.”

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding this week which, last Thursday (18), opened a 60-day period of truce to reach a final agreement that puts an end to the war started by Israel and the USA on February 28.

Following Israel’s recent attacks in southern Lebanon, Tehran warned this Saturday that it will not begin negotiations until the obligations of the memorandum of understanding are fulfilled, especially the first point, which stipulates the “immediate and permanent end of military operations on all fronts”, including Lebanese territory.