According to Reuters, U.S. negotiating representative Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland at 5:59 a.m. local time for discussions with the Iranian delegation.
Prior to Vance's arrival, Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump's son-in-law, had already reached Switzerland, marking the presence of key U.S. negotiators at the meeting site.
The Iranian delegation, led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, arrived in Switzerland the previous day, signaling the commencement of serious preparations for the follow-up negotiations between the two countries.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry, acting as a mediator in the ceasefire talks, confirmed that face-to-face working-level meetings between the two countries would take place on June 21 in Switzerland.
The first working meeting following the MOU is expected to address the situation in Lebanon as a key agenda item. Israel has continued airstrikes in Lebanon even after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement, leading to the postponement of the initial working-level talks that were scheduled for June 19. Consequently, the Lebanon issue has emerged as a central point of discussion for this meeting.
Before departing for Switzerland, Vice President Vance told reporters at Andrews Joint Base, "We will negotiate for about two days. I hope we can make progress on the nuclear issue and the ceasefire in Lebanon."
However, the focus of the negotiations is expected to align with the implementation of the MOU signed on June 17.
Notably, the Iranian delegation includes several officials from the economic and financial sectors, suggesting a concentrated effort to discuss the easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran and the expansion of access to frozen assets abroad.
According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, the Iranian delegation includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Central Bank Governor Abdol Nasser Hemmati, and Hamid Bord, Deputy Minister of Oil and CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated in an interview with Iranian media that the purpose of the delegation's trip to Switzerland is to demand compliance with obligations from the other party. He emphasized that negotiations for a final agreement will commence once obligations outlined in Articles 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 are fulfilled.
Article 1 calls for the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations across all fronts. Articles 4 and 5 stipulate the lifting of the U.S. maritime blockade on Iran and the exemption of tolls for 60 days in the Strait of Hormuz.
Articles 10 and 11 reportedly include promises to exempt U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports and economic activities, as well as the immediate release of frozen Iranian assets.
This round of negotiations is expected to take place in a four-party format, with Pakistan and Qatar participating as mediators alongside the U.S. and Iran.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry stated that representatives from the U.S. and Iran, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, will attend the working-level talks.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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