Nuclear Disarmament Off the Table? First High-Level Talks Focus Only on Immediate Crisis

[Anchor]

Now, let's go to Switzerland, where working-level talks are underway following the high-level meeting.

Correspondent Kwon Young-in, this was the first meeting held under the memorandum of understanding on ending the war. It sounds like the atmosphere was not exactly smooth?

[Reporter]

Yes, I am here in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, where the talks between the United States and Iran are taking place.

The meeting was delayed by two days as Israel continued its military operations in Lebanon, and even once it finally began, it was far from smooth.

Just 80 minutes into the talks, the Iranian delegation walked out after U.S. President Trump threatened on social media that if Iran failed to restrain Hezbollah, the U.S. would strike Iran hard once again.

It seemed as though the negotiations might collapse, but the Iranian delegation returned to the table following mediation by Qatar and Pakistan.

However, the talks, which began without even a handshake, concluded without a joint statement from the U.S. and Iran, leaving only a statement from the mediating countries.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf and others have returned to Iran, while the movements of the U.S. delegation, including Vice President Vance, have not yet been disclosed.

[Anchor]

Iran immediately claimed the negotiations were a success, but is there still no word from the U.S. delegation?

[Reporter]

That is correct. Unlike Iran, the U.S. has yet to make any public comments regarding the outcome of this first high-level meeting.

Analysts suggest that the results of the high-level talks likely did not satisfy the U.S. side. Above all, they failed to make any concrete progress on negotiations regarding nuclear disarmament during this first round.

The joint statement from the mediating countries mentions only that nuclear issues will be handled through group-level negotiations on sanctions and dispute resolution, with no further details provided.

This outcome is largely due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Although U.S. President Trump has repeatedly pressured Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, it has had no effect. His attempt to hold Iran accountable this time only brought the negotiations to the brink of collapse.

Ultimately, the first high-level meeting served only to "put out immediate fires," such as the Lebanon issue and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

While they agreed to establish a body to ease tensions in Lebanon, it remains uncertain whether Israel and Hezbollah will participate. There are also concerns that Iran will continue to use the threat of blocking the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in negotiations.

Doubts are already being raised from the very start as to whether a nuclear disarmament agreement can be reached within 60 days.

(Video reporting: Kim Si-nae, Video editing: Kim Byung-jik)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.