‘Crown jewel’ or diplomatic relic?

Dear reader,

Since the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, an old topic has re-emerged in Switzerland: the Swiss protecting power mandate representing US interests in Iran.

Because Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic relations, they rely on indirect channels of communication. One of these is Switzerland’s mandate, often described domestically as a diplomatic “crown jewel”. When the United States needs to deliver an official message to Iran, Switzerland transmits it – occasionally with contextual explanation. What exactly this means is unclear. The Swiss foreign ministry says almost nothing publicly about how the mandate functions in practice.

This diplomatic arrangement is periodically criticised in Switzerland. Critics argue that it effectively supports an authoritarian regime and that Switzerland should abandon the role altogether.

Successive Swiss governments have defended the mandate, saying it generates international goodwill. And now it is even more important that “this communication channel between Washington and Tehran remains open”, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

But the significance of the mandate should not be overstated, says Laurent Goetschel, director of the Swisspeace research institute. “Switzerland is essentially a postman. If the United States wants to contact Iran through an official channel, it can ask Switzerland to do so. But this is not a mediation role,” he told me on Monday.

True mediation has occurred only sporadically and on narrowly defined issues, such as prisoner exchanges. There have also been recurring indications that financial transfers related to such arrangements passed through Swiss banks.

But this does not grant Switzerland any privileged insight. Since the attacks, Swiss authorities have been trying to assist an estimated 4,000 Swiss nationals in the Middle East. “We had no advance warning of the attack,” consular officials said on Monday. The “postman”, it seems, was not informed ahead of time.

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Best regards,

Giannis Mavris

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