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Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Switzerland on the sidelines of ongoing negotiations aimed at building on the recent breakthrough between Iran and the United States.
According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, Ghalibaf also met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is serving as another major facilitator in the negotiations. The Iranian news agency further noted that Qatar has played a longstanding intermediary role in regional diplomacy and has been involved in efforts to keep channels of communication open between the parties. These high-level huddles coincided with an official announcement from Qatar's Foreign Ministry on Sunday confirming the formal commencement of the talks between the US and Iran under the joint mediation of Qatar and Pakistan in Switzerland. In an official statement, the ministry expressed "its aspiration that these meetings will lead to the conclusion of a comprehensive and permanent agreement addressing all aspects covered in the Memorandum of Understanding". Providing details on the operational structure of the dialogue, the ministry statement noted that "specialised technical and expert groups have been formed to negotiate the terms of the final agreement, which will cover all aspects of the Memorandum of Understanding" between the US and Iran. To maintain structural oversight over the agreed terms during this framework, additional monitoring bodies have been put in place. "Additionally, follow-up groups have been established to oversee the implementation of the Memorandum, monitor progress achieved, and work toward the conclusion of the final agreement," the statement added. This coordinated diplomatic push gained significant momentum following the arrival of high-level American and Iranian delegations at the Burgenstock resort on Sunday. These technical-level talks are operating under the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) finalised on June 17 by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The MoU has initiated a strict 60-day window for negotiators to iron out key operational disputes and restore long-term stability across West Asia. Underscoring the urgency of the dialogue, US Vice President JD Vance landed in Switzerland earlier on Sunday to join American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were already on-site handling the framework's technical dimensions. Concurrently, the Iranian delegation positioned itself at the venue to lay out Tehran's terms. According to Iranian state television, Tehran's negotiating team is heavily weighted towards economic and financial leverage, comprising Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and key officials from Iran's central bank and oil ministry. While these crucial proceedings were originally scheduled to commence on Friday, they faced sudden, unexpected delays due to recent exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon, which threatened to derail the strict diplomatic timeline. Beyond immediate territorial concerns, a primary objective behind these urgent negotiations is securing critical global energy corridors. The initial finalisation of the June MoU had prompted the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz maritime route, which handles nearly 20 per cent of global energy supplies under normal conditions. The vital waterway had been blocked since February 28 following joint military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, which provoked retaliatory actions from Tehran. However, as the afternoon negotiations get underway, the maritime situation remains highly fluid and contradictory. Tehran claimed on Saturday that it had shut down the waterway once again following an Israeli strike in Lebanon, whereas the United States firmly maintained that the maritime route remains open, adding a critical layer of economic stakes to the ongoing dialogue. (ANI)
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