Mediators in Switzerland say the United States and Iran have agreed on a roadmap towards a final agreement following their first round of high-level talks. The talks wrapped up, with Qatar and Pakistan reporting encouraging progress.
All sides have also agreed to establish a High-Level Committee to steer technical negotiations towards a comprehensive deal. Chief negotiators will report regularly to the committee as discussions continue.
The United States (US) and Iran have committed to keeping talks going until a final agreement is reached. The sides have also agreed to work towards ending the conflict in Lebanon and ensuring safe passage for commercial shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The US Cice-President, J.D Vance says progress has been made.
“We laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal. The final deal is the house. We set the foundation, we haven’t built the house, but we have laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people. I think it’s important for all of us to appreciate how much was done, but honestly, there is still a lot to do as we continue to make progress on the nuclear talks, on the economic talks, as we continue to de-mine the straits and ensure that, that flow of traffic continues to pick back up. A lot of progress, but still some work to do, and we are very committed to doing exactly that.”
Iran, meanwhile, says it remains optimistic about reaching a final agreement. But it also commented on the issue of uranium enrichment. Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian.
“We will not give up our right to enrichment, and they, too, will be forced to accept it. You all know what the so-called ‘president’ of the United States was saying. He had made a complete 180-degree turn. He was saying that Iran must surrender unconditionally. Iran has no right to do this. It has no right to do that. Then he gave a speech and said that Iran has the right to do this; it has the right to possess this. In other words, he has reversed himself by 180 degrees compared to his previous positions and has accepted that they cannot ignore our rights,” says Iran’s President.
Technical talks are due to continue for the rest of this week.
VIDEO| Last week the US and Iran signed an interim ceasefire agreement:
