Vance, Iranian Delegation Arrive in Switzerland for Peace Talks on Islamabad Agreement

BERN, Jun 21: US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for talks with Iranian officials on implementing a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the armed conflict in the Middle East.

Vance and his wife landed at Emmen Air Base at 5:59 a.m. local time, according to a vice presidential spokesperson. The talks are set to take place in Burgenstock, in Switzerland’s Nidwalden canton.

Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that it welcomed the arrival of the Iranian delegation.

“We welcome the arrival of the Iranian delegation in Switzerland,” the ministry wrote on X, sharing a photo of the delegation. It said the Iranian officials were traveling to Burgenstock to discuss the implementation of the memorandum signed with the United States.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said technical-level talks between the US and Iran would be held on Sunday in Burgenstock following the signing of the Islamabad Agreement.

“Following the signing of the Islamabad Agreement, technical-level talks will be held on June 21 in the Swiss town of Burgenstock,” the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in Switzerland on Sunday morning to attend the talks, local media reported. Sharif, accompanied by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, will represent Pakistan in discussions on implementing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.

High-level delegations from Iran, Qatar and the US are also expected to participate. The meeting marks the first formal engagement between Washington and Tehran since the memorandum was signed.

“Pakistan will continue to support and advance the implementation of the understandings reached between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Sharif is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines with delegations from Iran, Qatar, Switzerland and the US, in what Islamabad described as an effort to reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue and lasting regional peace.

Iran and the US announced on June 14 that, through a negotiation process mediated by Pakistan, they had reached a 14-point memorandum aimed at ending the war and resolving disputes through talks. The memorandum, known as the Islamabad Agreement, entered into force after being signed digitally on June 18 by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump.

The agreement includes provisions to end the war, including hostilities in Lebanon, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US naval blockade imposed on Iran. It also sets the stage for a 60-day negotiation process on issues including Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.

The US and Iran had initially been expected to begin talks in Switzerland on Friday, but the meeting was postponed.

Pakistan previously hosted direct talks between Washington and Tehran on April 12-13 after securing a ceasefire on April 8. Those talks were described as the highest-level direct engagement between the two countries since they severed diplomatic ties in 1979.