ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The first high-level talks between the United States and Iran aimed at ending months of conflict concluded in Switzerland on Sunday with what mediators described as "encouraging progress," including agreement on a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days and the launch of technical negotiations.
In a joint statement, Qatari and Pakistani mediators said the inaugural session of the High Level Committee under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ended in a "positive and constructive atmosphere" at the Lake Lucerne Summit in Burgenstock, Switzerland, adding that "encouraging progress has been made including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks."
The mediators added that the committee had "agreed upon a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days," while technical talks would begin immediately.
The negotiations come amid efforts to secure a final agreement to end the Iran-US war following the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire reached on April 11, which sought to halt attacks involving the United States, Israel and Iran that erupted in late February.
The meeting brought together representatives from Iran, the United States, Qatar and Pakistan after the two sides opened their first round of negotiations on Sunday following last week's preliminary agreement aimed at ending months-long conflict in the Middle East.
The teams, headed by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, began talks in Switzerland on Sunday, marking the launch of a two-month negotiating period under a preliminary agreement reached last week.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the outcome in a post on X early Monday, praising the mediators' role in advancing the negotiations.
"Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end the Lebanon War. Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran," Araghchi wrote.
"1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell," he added.
Araghchi's remarks come as Israel has continued its airstrikes in Lebanon in recent days despite the US-Iran agreement, targeting positions of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Last week, Araghchi said, "from day one, Iran considered ending the war in Lebanon a prerequisite for ending the war with Iran."
Under the newly established framework, the parties have "agreed to the establishment of a High Level Committee, which will provide political oversight on the mediation," the statement read, adding that chief negotiators leading working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions, and monitoring and dispute resolution.
To reduce the risk of military escalation, the parties also established a direct communication channel "to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz."
In addition, the statement announced the creation of "a de-confliction cell, between the parties, the Lebanese Republic and facilitated by the Mediators, to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon as per the MoU."
Technical discussions are scheduled to continue throughout the week at the Burgenstock resort.
The mediators pledged to continue facilitating negotiations "with the aim of reaching a final deal" and thanked both Washington and Tehran for their "ongoing commitment to diplomacy and a peaceful resolution to the conflict."
The talks began a day after US President Donald Trump warned that Iran "must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble," saying the United States would strike "harder" if they did not.
Ghalibaf had dismissed the warning, saying,"do they not think to themselves that if their threats were effective, they would not have reached today's state of desperation? We do not give any weight to American threats."
