The Iranian delegation, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, landed in Zurich, Switzerland on Saturday evening for talks with the United States. The arrival follows days of uncertainty over Tehran's participation and sets the stage for a potential signing ceremony or further negotiation rounds at the Bürgenstock resort, as The Zioneer has reported over the past week.
The Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, landed in Zurich on Saturday evening, according to state-aligned channels. The arrival, which The Zioneer reported at 23:50 Jerusalem, follows a day of back-and-forth that included Iran's earlier threat to close the Strait of Hormuz and a subsequent decision, announced by Iran's Foreign Ministry at 22:28, to send a delegation led by Qalibaf. The talks are set to take place at the Bürgenstock resort; the U.S. side reportedly includes Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff.
The Zioneer has tracked the delegation's journey since 18:40 yesterday, when Iran named its full delegation, designated 'Minab 168,' and warned of past breaches by the other party. At 23:45, journalist Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) confirmed the delegation had departed for Switzerland, and a subsequent security-focused source now places the landing in Zurich. Earlier on Saturday, the Zioneer reported at 16:11 that Vice President Vance had departed Washington for Switzerland, reversing a White House cancellation from Friday, and that he hoped for progress on both the Iran nuclear file and a ceasefire in Lebanon.
As The Zioneer previously reported, Switzerland's Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that delegations from Iran, the U.S., Qatar, and Pakistan were scheduled to meet at the Bürgenstock resort for preliminary talks on implementing the agreement. Iran had earlier, on Tuesday, named Speaker Qalibaf to lead its delegation for a potential MOU signing on Friday. The talks are the highest-level direct engagement between the two countries since initial rounds of nuclear negotiations.
No time or date has been confirmed for the first formal meeting between the two sides. The Iranian delegation has framed the purpose of the trip as 'following up on commitments' and warned of consequences if the other party breaches the memorandum.
9 developments
- DevelopingIran names full delegation for Friday talks in Switzerland with Vance leading US team
- StrongIran confirms it will attend Switzerland talks, demands US enforce halt to Israeli Lebanon strikes
- DevelopingSwiss ministry: delegations from Iran, US, Qatar, Pakistan to meet Friday at Bürgenstock for preliminary talks on deal implementation
- StrongIran names parliament speaker Qalibaf to lead delegation for Friday MOU signing in Switzerland
Source and signal
- Internal intake