BÜRGENSTOCK, Switzerland, June 21 (ANI) —
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis welcomed Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, as he arrived in Switzerland for diplomatic discussions with the United States.
Posting on social media platform X, Cassis shared an official photograph of his bilateral meeting with Araghchi at the Bürgenstock resort.
Highlighting Switzerland’s longstanding diplomatic role as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, Cassis emphasized the resilience of Swiss-Iranian relations despite shifting geopolitical dynamics.
“In a challenging context, the relationship of trust between Switzerland and Iran, reflected in our protecting power mandate, remains in the service of diplomacy and for peace and security in the Middle East,” Cassis said.
The Swiss-hosted diplomatic initiative gained momentum Sunday with the arrival of both American and Iranian delegations, setting the stage for a critical round of negotiations.
The talks are being held under the framework of a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) finalized on June 17 by U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The agreement established a 60-day window for negotiators to resolve key disputes and restore stability across West Asia.
Underscoring the urgency of the discussions, U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland earlier Sunday, joining American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Upon arrival, the U.S. delegation held a preliminary meeting at the Bürgenstock resort with the Pakistani mediation team ahead of formal negotiations with the Iranian delegation later in the day.
During the meeting, members of the American delegation were seen exchanging handshakes with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir.
The Pakistani delegation arrived in Switzerland shortly before the meeting to participate in the technical-level talks. Pakistan is serving as a guarantor of the agreement alongside Qatar, with both countries acting as key mediators.
Meanwhile, the Iranian delegation has also established its presence at the resort to present Tehran’s position. According to Iranian state television, the negotiating team includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with senior officials from Iran’s central bank and oil ministry.
The technical-level talks were originally scheduled to begin Friday but were delayed due to recent exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanon, which threatened to disrupt the diplomatic timeline.
A key objective of the negotiations is securing global energy corridors. The initial finalization of the MoU prompted the reopening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which normally handles nearly 20 percent of global energy supplies.
The waterway had been closed since Feb. 28 following joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, which prompted retaliatory actions from Tehran.
However, as talks begin, the status of the maritime route remains disputed. Iran claimed Saturday that it had once again closed the waterway following an Israeli strike in Lebanon, while the United States maintained that the strategic shipping route remains open, adding further urgency to the negotiations. (ANI)
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