BÜRGENSTOCK, Switzerland, June 21 (ANI): U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with the Pakistani mediation team in Switzerland’s Bürgenstock resort on Sunday ahead of negotiations with the Iranian delegation scheduled for later in the afternoon.
Members of the American delegation were seen exchanging handshakes with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir.
The meeting took place shortly after Sharif, accompanied by Munir and a high-level delegation, arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to participate in technical-level talks between the United States and Iran aimed at restoring peace in West Asia.
The diplomatic effort gained momentum following the arrival of American and Iranian delegations in Switzerland for the latest round of negotiations. The talks are being held under a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) finalized on June 17 by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Pakistan, acting as a guarantor of the agreement, and Qatar are participating in the proceedings as mediators.
To join the negotiations, Vance arrived in Switzerland earlier on Sunday, joining American negotiators Witkoff and Kushner, who were already on site to oversee the technical aspects of the dialogue.
Meanwhile, the Iranian delegation also arrived in Switzerland to present its terms. Iranian state television reported that Tehran’s negotiating team includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with officials from Iran’s central bank and oil ministry.
The MoU established a 60-day window for negotiators to resolve key disputes and work toward stability across West Asia.
While the technical-level talks were originally scheduled to begin on Friday, they were delayed primarily due to recent exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon, which threatened to derail the diplomatic timeline.
A primary objective of the negotiations is securing global energy corridors. The finalization of the MoU prompted the reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz maritime route, which normally handles nearly 20 percent of global energy supplies.
The waterway had been blocked since Feb. 28 following joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which triggered retaliatory actions from Tehran.
However, conflicting reports emerged on Saturday. Iran claimed it had again closed the waterway following an Israeli strike in Lebanon, while the United States maintained that the maritime route remained open. (ANI)
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