TYRE, Jun 20: Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and also announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there.
Key mediator Pakistan, meanwhile, said the technical-level talks will begin on Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with Qatari mediators also participating.
In Tehran’s first salvo, Iran’s joint military command said the strait had been closed, citing the Israeli attacks and US “bad faith” and “clear breach of its commitments” by failing to end the war. Its statement on state television warned that “if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned.”
Shortly after that, the state broadcaster announced that Iran’s negotiating team was heading to Switzerland “in the coming minutes,” a trip that had been originally planned for Friday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson EsmailBagahei, however, signaled that little might happen until Iran feels the US is living up to the deal.
“This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations,” he said, adding that negotiations toward a final agreement will begin only once key commitments are upheld. If they are not, he said, “then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized.”
In Washington, Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Saturday that the top US negotiators " Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff " were already in Switzerland and have been working through technical details of the anticipated negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
Vance told Fox News that he expects to leave for Switzerland “sometime the next couple of days” but acknowledged that “it’s always a delicate coordination dance.”
Diplomats from several countries were meeting Saturday at a Swiss retreat in a bid to maintain dialogue on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt the Middle East war, said Bern.
The Swiss foreign ministry said diplomats were in discussions at the luxury Burgenstock resort near Lucerne in central Switzerland, without giving further details.
A diplomatic source told AFP the discussions under way on Saturday were preparatory in nature.
Senior-level talks at the hotel complex were initially planned for Friday, but were called off, with the process shrouded in layers of uncertainty, as Israel carried out deadly strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Swiss public broadcaster RTS said technical delegations from the United States and Iran, plus from mediators Qatar and Pakistan, were present at the discussions.
"Switzerland continues to provide a discreet and reliable setting to facilitate talks at Burgenstock on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran," the foreign ministry said in a brief statement.
"Diplomats from various countries currently present are continuing their efforts to maintain the dialogue.
"No further information can be provided regarding those present or the discussions," it added.
Israel carried out deadly strikes in south Lebanon on Saturday and Hezbollah maintained it had the right to respond, hours after the United States announced a renewed ceasefire in fighting that had strained the fledgling deal with Iran.
US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart MasoudPezeshkian this week signed a preliminary agreement to halt the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.
But follow-up talks scheduled for Friday at the Burgenstock were indefinitely postponed as the fresh fighting in Lebanon flared.
Katara Hospitality, owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, took over the Burgenstock complex in 2007.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said late Friday that he had met earlier in the day with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the resort.
The pair "exchanged views on recent regional developments following the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran", Cassis said on X.
"As countries that place great importance on mediation, dialogue and good offices, Switzerland and Qatar share a strong commitment to supporting diplomatic solutions to international challenges.
"I thanked Qatar for its important mediation efforts and reaffirmed Switzerland's readiness to support initiatives aimed at de-escalation, stability and lasting peace."
Meanwhile, the global economy braced for more uncertainty. Ships had begun transiting the strait after the interim US-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week, a milestone that has left plenty of questions unanswered."AGENCIES
