BUERGENSTOCK: The first round of high-stakes negotiations between senior US and Iranian officials concluded in Switzerland on Monday, with mediators announcing a fragile agreement on a 60-day roadmap toward a final deal. The breakthrough came despite a tense opening marked by Tehran’s renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz and fresh threats of military action from President Donald Trump.
A joint statement from the mediating nations, Pakistan and Qatar, confirmed the roadmap and said technical talks will continue for the rest of the week at the Qatari-owned Buergenstock resort. The parties also agreed to a mechanism to end the fighting in Lebanon and established a communications line to help ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the contested strait.
Marathon Talks and Mediated Messages
US Vice President JD Vance began talks with Iranian officials on Sunday under a memorandum of understanding that extended a tenuous April ceasefire for at least 60 days. The discussions stretched through the night and into the early hours of Monday.
However, the negotiations were not straightforward. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that after Trump’s threats became public, the Iranian delegation refused to return to the negotiating room, though messages continued to be exchanged via Pakistani and Qatari mediators.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that his country had secured waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, the release of some frozen assets, and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan. The White House had no immediate comment when asked if high-level talks had wrappedp>
Threats and Oil Markets
Just before the talks officially began, Fox News reported that Trump told Iranian officials “you won’t have a country” if they tried to close the strait again. Trump also reiterated an earlier threat that the US would take over the waterway and possibly charge its own toll. He later stated he agreed to the memorandum of understanding to avert a global economic depression from high oil prices caused by the strait’s closure.
Following the joint statement, Brent crude futures fell further, dropping more than $1 to $79.44 a barrel, reflecting cautious market optimism.
Conflicting Accounts and the Nuclear Question
US and Iranian sources provided separate accounts of the discussions. According to Tasnim’s source, Iranians insisted that the start of nuclear negotiations required the delivery of other parts of the MOU, the release of frozen assets and US waivers authorizing Iranian oil exports.
“The Iranians never left and are still here meeting and negotiating deep into the night,” a US involved in the talks told Reuters. “We’ve talked about the Strait, Lebanon, nuclear issues, and details of implementing the MOU, among other topics
The agreement calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point for global energy shipments, and ending all hostilities, including in Lebanon, where Israel has continued to launch deadly strikes as Hezbollah fires at Israeli targets. Iran had argued that the US failed to meet its commitment to halt fighting in Lebanon, leading to its decision to again stop maritime traffic through the strait over the weekend.
Contrasting Signals from Washington
Even as Trump threatened to “hit Iran very hard again,” Vice President Vance struck a different tone, telling reporters the president had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran.” A US diplomat late Sunday said discussions included “clarifying some of the confusing messaging from Iran on the Strait and building deconfliction mechanisms to ensure the Strait will remain fully open.”
Despite the announcement of a new ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday, there has been scant sign of an end to the fighting. Data from analytics firm Kpler showed only five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, a sharp drop from the 26 ships spotted a day earlier. Sunday appeared to be the quietest day in Lebanon for some time, with no reports of major violence by nightfall, as more than 1 million displaced residents began cautiously returning to their homes.
