Khaberni - Qatar announced the start of the first meeting in Buergenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday afternoon, with the participation of Iran, America, and Pakistan.
Qatar stated that technical and technological groups have been formed to negotiate the final agreement between America and Iran, expressing hope that meetings between America and Iran will lead to a lasting and comprehensive agreement.
A new round of negotiations between the United States and Iran is underway in Switzerland to end the war in the Middle East based on the memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties.
Earlier, Switzerland announced the completion of the delegations' arrivals, and that the American delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance, and the Iranian delegation headed by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the mediators in Buergenstock, will begin the discussions this afternoon.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry reported that the Buergenstock meeting will last for one day in implementation of the memorandum of understanding, and that meetings will be held between the Iranian and American delegations with representatives from Qatar and Pakistan, as well as bilateral meetings with the delegations of Pakistan and Qatar as mediators.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry stated it would continue to support the understandings reached between America and Iran, noting that the Prime Minister is holding bilateral meetings with delegations from America, Iran, Qatar, and Switzerland.
Earlier, Vice President J.D. Vance of the United States arrived in the host country hours after the arrival of the Iranian negotiators. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also reached the negotiations venue between America and Iran in Buergenstock, preceded by Pakistani media reporting the arrival of Army Chief Asim Munir to Switzerland on Sunday morning as well.
Vance had stated before boarding the plane that took him to Europe, "I believe we will make progress on the nuclear issue and make progress on the issue of ceasefire in Lebanon. These are the two main issues I believe we will focus on."
The negotiations, originally scheduled to begin on Friday in Switzerland, were postponed at the last minute as Israel escalated its attacks in Lebanon following the killing of four soldiers, including an officer, by Hezbollah fire.
At that time, Washington reached an agreement to renew the ceasefire there, a condition of its preliminary agreement with Iran, but Israeli forces clashed again with Hezbollah fighters on Saturday, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.
Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, the central operations room for the Iranian forces, announced in a statement, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to navigation "due to the explicit breach of its pledges by the United States, and in response to the ongoing and continuous violations of the ceasefire by Israel in southern Lebanon," according to the statement.
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remotely signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday night, stipulating a halt to the war including the Lebanese front, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and lifting the American blockade on Iranian ports.
The US Central Command confirmed that safe passage through the international waterway "remains in place" and US forces "remain vigilant."
Trump later warned that Washington might impose its own passage fees in the Strait of Hormuz if negotiators fail to strike a deal.
Trump wrote on the "Truth Social" platform that there would be no fees "unless imposed by the United States and for its benefit."
The preparatory talks between diplomats began on Saturday, according to Bern.
Official Iranian media and the Swiss Foreign Ministry reported that an Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland late Saturday.
The official Iranian TV stated that among the delegation members were the Speaker of Parliament and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and the Central Bank President Abdolnaser Hemmati.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Baghaei, said that the delegation "will follow up and insist on the fulfillment of the other party's commitments" under this understanding, as reported by IRNA news agency.
Pakistan confirmed that "technical level talks" will be held on Sunday in Buergenstock in Switzerland, adding that Pakistani and Qatari mediators will participate in the discussions with the American and Iranian delegations.
It is expected that the negotiations will take place over two months and will address issues left unresolved by the initial agreement, especially the Iranian nuclear program.
