A first round of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland ended early Monday with “encouraging progress,” the mediators said, even as strains over the conflict in Lebanon and other issues threatened to impede efforts to reach a lasting peace.
The mediators, Qatar and Pakistan, said in a statement just after 3 a.m. on Monday that the summit had been “conducted in a positive and constructive atmosphere,” and noted “the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks.”
While the statement indicated no agreement on the thorniest issues dividing the two sides — including the fate of Iran’s nuclear program — it said that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had agreed to a “road map” for reaching a final deal within 60 days and a temporary communication line to help ensure safe passage for ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
They also agreed to a “de-confliction cell” as part of efforts to ensure that military operations end in Lebanon, where Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah have been fighting for months.
Iranian negotiators had insisted Sunday on an end to the war in Lebanon as a condition for further talks, according to Iranian state media. After the statement, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that while “major progress” had been made on the Lebanon issue, the so-called de-confliction cell would pose an initial test.
Technical talks will continue for the rest of the week on all issues, the announcement said, but as day broke in Switzerland, it was unclear which American and Iranian officials would be involved. Iran’s delegation, headed by its speaker of parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, was returning to Tehran after 18 hours of talks, the country’s state broadcaster said Monday morning.
The path to a lasting peace settlement still faces significant hurdles, including tensions between President Trump and Iranian officials. Mr. Trump renewed his threats against Iran on Sunday, telling Fox News that he could do “whatever I want” after the 60-day period and that President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, who has insisted that Tehran maintain its right to enrich uranium, “better watch his mouth.”
That prompted a warning from Mr. Ghalibaf, who said on social media that the United States should be careful about issuing threats, and that Iranian armed forces were prepared to respond.
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Negotiation topics: A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail the negotiations, said the topics of discussion included ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and enforcing the cease-fire in Lebanon. According to Iranian state media, the talks focused mostly on Lebanon and did not touch on the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The managing director of Iran’s national oil company, Hamid Bovard, told state media that the lifting of sanctions on the country’s oil and related industries was also discussed.
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Strait of Hormuz: The preliminary deal the United States and Iran agreed to more than a week ago had said that the strait, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipments, would be open for the 60-day period. But the status of the strait was thrown into confusion on Saturday after Iran claimed it was closing the waterway over the fighting in Lebanon. The U.S. military said that marine traffic continued to flow.
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Nuclear program: The most difficult issue in the U.S.-Iran talks — what to do about Iran’s nuclear program and stockpile of uranium — has been left for later. So far, Iran has only reiterated its longstanding promise not to develop nuclear weapons, and the country’s president, Mr. Pezeshkian, said on Sunday that Iran would “never back down” from its right to enrich uranium.
