US says technical talks with Iran to take place in Switzerland
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a technical working meeting between the US and Iran is planned for June 29-30 in Switzerland. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern has not confirmed this.
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US says technical talks with Iran to take place in Switzerland
Rubio announced the latest meeting in Switzerland on Wednesday in Kuwait City. In response to an enquiry from Keystone-SDA, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) stated in the evening: “The FDFA has no comment on this.” High-ranking representatives from both countries met recently the Bürgenstock resort in Nidwalden.
Mediators described these talks as “positive” and “constructive” and spoke of “encouraging progress”. US Vice-President J. D. Vance described the meeting as “historic”. A first foundation stone has been laid.
Tehran dampens US optimism
However, the Iranian side immediately dampened US optimism. Iran had not held any negotiations on its nuclear programme in Switzerland and had not entered into any new commitments, said the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, on Monday to the state news agency Irna.
The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva also contradicted Vance’s statements regarding joint agreements reached during the recent negotiations.
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Switzerland welcomes ‘constructive progress’ in Iran-US talks
According to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kasem Gharibabadi, working groups were agreed upon during the talks to address the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the nuclear programme, reconstruction, and the monitoring and implementation of the negotiations, as reported by Irna. According to the mediating states, Pakistan and Qatar, there are also two contact groups dealing with issues relating to the Strait of Hormuz and the ceasefire in Lebanon.
In addition to US Vice President Vance, the meeting at Bürgenstock was attended by US mediators Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner. On the Iranian side, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi were present.
The aim was to turn the framework agreement signed by Washington and Tehran last Wednesday into a final agreement. The process is expected to take around two months until a final agreement is reached. At the end of February, the US and Israel had launched a war against Iran.
Translated from German, sub-edited by jdp
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