U.S.-Iran talks – The U.S. and Iran will hold negotiations Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, days after signing a memorandum of understanding that lays out a 60-day ceasefire and a path toward a final agreement. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar will join the talks, while Vic
Negotiators for the United States and Iran are set to meet Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, as the two sides try to turn a 60-day ceasefire memorandum into something more durable—at a moment when fighting around Lebanon is already threatening the fragile footing of the agreement.
The talks are scheduled only days after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a 60-day ceasefire. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said mediators from Pakistan and Qatar will participate as well.
The trip was initially planned for Friday but was postponed, reportedly because of fighting in Lebanon. Vice President JD Vance said Saturday that he will join the negotiations alongside Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Trump’s adviser and son-in-law. Vance also told reporters before leaving for Switzerland Saturday evening that he can only be in Switzerland “for a day or two.”.
Witkoff and Kushner, who arrived in Switzerland before Vance, handled some of the negotiation’s “technical elements,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News Saturday. Vance added, “My understanding, talking to Jared and Steve this morning, is things are going well.”
Still. just as the delegations head into the formal talks. two of the biggest issues they are expected to tackle—nuclear concerns and a Lebanon ceasefire—are colliding with events on the ground. Vance said the delegations will focus on the nuclear issue and the Lebanon ceasefire. which Israel and Hezbollah reportedly agreed to on Friday. Hours later, Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched at least 50 projectiles toward its soldiers in southern Lebanon, prompting a response in which the military struck dozens of Hezbollah infrastructure sites in the area throughout the night. Hezbollah denied this.
Iran’s position on the Switzerland negotiations is framed around compliance. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the trip “is intended to pursue accountability and follow up on the implementation of the other side’s obligations. ” according to the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency. Baqaei also said Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will reportedly lead the Iran delegation.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on X that the Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland Saturday.
The memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, formally signed late Wednesday, is designed to move fast—without calling it the end of the confrontation. The document calls for the “immediate termination” of military operations on all fronts, including between the U.S. and Iran, as well as in Lebanon. It also calls for “ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”.
The ceasefire framework is set against a specific origin: Israel began warring with Hezbollah a few days after the war in Iran started on Feb. 28. Even with the U.S. memorandum in place, officials in Israel have said they don’t feel bound by the agreement.
The memorandum sets a final deadline as well: a final deal in a maximum of 60 days, “extendable with mutual consent.”
It also outlines immediate steps affecting maritime traffic and sanctions. The agreement says the U.S. will end its naval blockade of Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, while Iran will restore the traffic of vessels in the strait to “prewar levels.”
Financial and sanctions changes are also central. The memorandum calls for the termination of U.S. sanctions against Iran, with Treasury Department waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil until sanctions are lifted. It also includes a provision for the U.S. making frozen or restricted funds available to Iran.
On reconstruction and economics, the memorandum says the U.S. will work with regional partners to develop a $300 billion fund for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran.
The nuclear language is structured as both a pledge and a negotiation track. The memorandum includes Iran’s affirmation that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, along with an agreement that the two parties will discuss enrichment.
The memorandum has drawn sharp criticism across party lines, with opponents arguing the deal moves too quickly and gives Tehran room to benefit financially without fully reducing long-term risks.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. said in a statement. “None of the President’s objectives have been achieved. Iran has won significant financial concessions. America’s relationships globally are in tatters and the new. even more hardline regime in Tehran is emboldened.”.
Sen. Bill Cassidy. R-La. called it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” He added that “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed. and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the president is receiving “some very poor advice on this deal.” He also told The Hill, “History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea,”
President Donald Trump defended the memorandum on Truth Social. criticizing former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for their past actions on Iran. Trump wrote. “Radical Left fools and Dumocrats [sic] realize how well we have done in our War against Iran. with their Country being completely defeated militarily. ” and added. “Iran got away with ”murder” for 47 years. until I came along. Then it all changed. AMERICA IS BACK!!!”.
Karen Young, a senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told CNBC that the memorandum is “not a final settlement in anyway, and it is very tentative.”
For Young, the pressure point is Lebanon. She said. “Iran has a lot of leverage here. and so the threat to walk away. even over the weekend of starting formal negotiations within this 60-day window. it’s a point of leverage that they have. and so it puts pressure on President Trump to try to rein in Israel.”.
In the narrow space between a written memorandum and the violence that continues around it. Sunday’s talks will test whether the ceasefire framework can survive the next headline—especially when the negotiations themselves are built around obligations that both sides are now racing to prove they can enforce.
United States Iran Switzerland talks Bürgenstock 60-day ceasefire memorandum JD Vance Steve Witkoff Jared Kushner nuclear issue Lebanon ceasefire Strait of Hormuz U.S. sanctions frozen funds Pakistan Qatar mediators
So they’re just gonna “talk” for 60 days and call it peace? k.
Wait I thought this was already a ceasefire? Like how is it both signed and still fighting around Lebanon like ???
Bürgenstock sounds made up, like a hotel negotiation thing. Also why is Jared Kushner involved again, does he do diplomacy or just vibes. If fighting in Lebanon is the reason it was postponed then I don’t see how talks fix that in 60 days.
I saw Vance and Witkoff and thought Trump was going too, so now I’m confused. Also Pakistan and Qatar mediating doesn’t automatically mean it’ll work, like they’ll just pressure Iran then blame the US if it fails. Lebanon stuff always blows up these agreements anyway.