US-Iran Talks in Switzerland Conclude: Agreement Reached on Hormuz, Lebanon Management Systems

The first round of high-level talks between the United States and Iran to discuss the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war concluded in Switzerland in the early hours of June 22 (local time).

Following marathon talks over two days, the two sides agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within the next 60 days, alongside establishing conflict management systems for the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon.

Qatar and Pakistan, the mediating nations for the peace negotiations, announced in a joint statement after the meeting that the first round of talks between the U.S. and Iran had concluded.

In the joint statement, the mediating nations stated that the U.S. and Iran agreed to establish a high-level committee to provide political oversight regarding the implementation of the MOU, and that this committee agreed on a roadmap to sign a final peace agreement within the next 60 days.

The statement particularly noted, "The parties (the U.S. and Iran) agreed to establish a 'de-confliction mechanism' between the parties and Lebanon, with the assistance of the mediators, to ensure compliance with the termination of military operations in Lebanon under the MOU."

It also stated, "A 'communication line' has been established between the parties to prevent accidents and miscalculations, with the aim of ensuring the safe passage of merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz."

Furthermore, the U.S. and Iran agreed to continue working-level talks this week in the presence of the mediators.

The Iranian side assessed the outcome of the talks highly positively.

Following the meeting, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian state television, "An agreement was reached (with the U.S.) to establish a mechanism for the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which is an important matter."

He added, "We discussed the issuance of permits required for Iran's oil exports and the unfreezing of frozen assets, which is a highly critical issue, and significant progress has been made," emphasizing that "the war must end on all fronts, including Lebanon."

He also stressed, "Under Article 13 of the memorandum of understanding, these conditions must be met first in order to enter negotiations for a final agreement."

Article 13 of the MOU stipulates that final negotiations will only begin once measures regarding sanctions are taken, including ending the war on all fronts such as Lebanon, lifting the U.S. maritime blockade, Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, permitting the export of Iranian crude oil and petrochemical products, and unfreezing Iran's frozen assets.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who attended the talks, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Tireless mediation by Pakistan and Qatar has delivered major progress toward ending the war in Lebanon," adding, "Sanctions on Iran's oil and petrochemical exports have been waived, the blockade has been lifted, and a large-scale reconstruction and development plan for Iran has been launched along with the release of some frozen assets."

He then wrote, "First real test: Lebanon de-confliction mechanism," emphasizing that the situation in Lebanon is the key to future negotiations.

Qatar and Pakistan also assessed in their joint statement that "the talks were conducted in a positive and constructive atmosphere," noting that "encouraging progress has been made, including the establishment of a mechanism for future technical talks."

Although the U.S. and Iran signed the conflict-ending MOU on June 14, the peace negotiations faced complications as clashes continued between Israel and Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militant group in Lebanon.

Pointing out that Israel continued to attack Hezbollah even after the MOU was reached, Iran postponed the Swiss talks originally scheduled for June 19 and played the card of re-closing the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.