First high-level US-Iran talks see key agreements after brief walkout

NDTV WORLD - The United States and Iran reached several key understandings during their first high-level talks in Switzerland, agreeing on a 60-day timeline to finalise a deal, setting up a High Level Committee to oversee the negotiations, and establishing communication mechanisms for the Strait of Hormuz, despite a tense start and a brief walkout by Iranian negotiators.

After the first session of technical talks with the United States, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said major progress had been made to end the "Lebanon war," describing it as the "first real test."

However, the talks were expected to continue into the early hours of Monday, according to a US official.

The negotiations began on a strained note after Iranian representatives walked out of face-to-face talks in Burgenstock in protest against a series of threats issued by US President Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump had warned of bombing Iran and even threatened to kidnap the Iranian negotiating team unless the Strait of Hormuz was reopened, The Guardian reported. 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!"

In a 20-minute phone call with Fox News, Trump had said, "We may take over the strait, if we have to. If they don't make a deal, we'll collect tolls."

Referring to the strait, he appeared to threaten to kidnap the Iranian negotiators, saying, "You close it and you won't have a country. You won't even make it back to your f***ing country," The Guardian reported.

Iranian state media said the talks entered a “difficult phase” and were paused after what it described as an insulting message by the US president. It added that the Iranian delegation met Qatari mediators before leaving the negotiating venue.

However, high-level discussions continued and concluded in the early hours of Monday, with Qatar and Pakistan saying that technical-level talks would carry on through the rest of the week.

In a joint statement issued by Qatar and Pakistan, the conclusion of the Lake Lucerne Summit, the first high-level committee meeting involving the United States and Iran, was announced.

The statement said the summit was conducted in a "positive and constructive atmosphere," with encouraging progress made.

Several key decisions and mechanisms were agreed upon during the talks:

• Iran and the US agreed to the establishment of a High Level Committee, which will provide political oversight on the mediation. Chief negotiators will report regularly to the High Level Committee and lead working groups focused on nuclear, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group to ensure the effective implementation of the MoU, and on other matters.
• The committee agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal within 60 days. This timeline also sets the stage for the immediate start of further technical talks.
• The US and Iran agreed to set up a "communication line" to avoid incidents in the Strait of Hormuz. "A communication line between the parties has been formed to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz," Pakistan and Qatar said in a joint statement. 
• Both the nations also agreed to create a de-confliction cell involving the United States, Iran, and Lebanon, facilitated by the mediators. This mechanism is aimed at ensuring adherence to the termination of military operations in Lebanon as outlined in the MoU.

Iran's foreign minister said early Monday that Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end the Lebanon War.

Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war in early March when the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

In a post on X, he said, "Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War. Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction and development plan launched for Iran. 1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell."

Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War. Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran.