US and Iran’s first round of negotiation in Switzerland ended with a “good day” and “encouraging progress.”
US and Iran met in Switzerland after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week to reach a final deal to end the war.
Key takeaways from US-Iran Switzerland talks:
Here are takeaways from a marathon 18-hour meeting at Lake Lucerne attended by US Vice President JD Vance, who led Washington’s delegation, alongside President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Iran’s delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Mediator Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir also attended the talks.
US-Iran agreed to “a roadmap” for a final deal:
The mediators of the high-stakes talks, Pakistan and Qatar, said in a joint statement on Monday, June 22, that the US and Iran agreed to “a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” adding that further technical talks are expected to continue in this time.
As per mediators, a high-level committee has been established to “provide political oversight on the mediation.”
“Chief negotiators will report regularly to the High-Level Committee and lead working groups focused on nuclear issues, sanctions, and a monitoring and dispute resolution group to ensure the effective implementation of the MoU and on other matters,” the statement added.
JD Vance claims “great progress” after talks with Iran:
After hours-long talks that reportedly included the Iranian delegation's protest on US President Donald Trump's renewed threat of attack, US Vice President JD Vance called the negotiation “very, very good.”
Ahead of departing from Switzerland, he said, “We set the foundation — we haven’t built the house — but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”
The vice president outlined a set of four major priorities as technical talks are expected to continue in the coming days.
He said Iran has agreed to admit monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency into the country and said some progress has been made in negotiations to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
JD Vance rejects claims Trump’s comments affected talks with Iran:
Vance also rejected the claims that Trump’s statement upended negotiations.
He asserted, “No, they didn’t throw a wrench in the system. There was a little bit of threatening, there was a little bit of whining, but at the end of the day, the talks continued, and we made great progress.”
“What we told the Iranians yesterday is when you guys engage in what us millennials might call trash talk, you can’t expect the president of the United States not to respond and not to correct the record,” he added.
Iran backfires on IAEA access claims:
Iran said on Monday that its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog would continue “under the current procedures,” pushing back after senior US officials said Tehran had agreed to let International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back into the country.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran’s interaction with the IAEA would proceed “in accordance with Iran’s obligations under safeguard agreements” and “in line with resolutions passed by Parliament and decisions of the Supreme National Security Council.”
Under a law passed by Iran’s parliament last summer, cooperation with the IAEA and inspections are suspended.
