The first round of talks between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East concluded in Switzerland, according to a joint statement issued Monday by the two mediating countries, Pakistan and Qatar.
The statement said: “The first session of the high-level talks under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding concluded in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with the participation of representatives from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, in addition to the two mediating parties: the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
Iran and the United States agreed on a roadmap designed to reach a final agreement to end the conflict within 60 days, according to the joint statement issued by Pakistan and Qatar.
“The High-Level Committee agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days, laying the foundation for the immediate commencement of technical negotiations,” the statement said.
The Iranian delegation left the venue of the talks with the United States in Switzerland on Sunday evening following a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump that Tehran considered offensive, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
The agency reported that “the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran left the building where the negotiations were being held,” adding that the Pakistan- and Qatar-mediated talks “entered a difficult phase after 80 minutes of discussions and a pause following the publication of an offensive message by the U.S. president.”
Trump threatened to resume strikes against Iran if it failed to prevent the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement from “causing trouble” in Lebanon.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump called on Iran to stop its allies in Lebanon from “causing trouble,” warning that otherwise military strikes on Iranian territory could resume while negotiations between the two countries continue in Switzerland.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to clashes involving Israel and Hezbollah, Trump wrote: “Iran must immediately stop its generously supported proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble.”
“If they do not, we will strike Iran again, just as we did last week, but with even greater force,” he added.
Later, Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator in the talks with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, urged the United States to “watch its rhetoric” following Trump’s threats.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf wrote: “Do they not see that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached this state of desperation? We do not take American threats into consideration.”
Source: AFP
