Washington DC [US], June 21 (ANI): US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance have departed for Switzerland on Saturday (local time) for technical-level talks with Iran, following the signing of the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between the two sides to end the hostilities in West Asia as diplomatic efforts continue over nuclear and regional security issues.
The Vice President will take part in discussions near Lucerne in Switzerland.
Speaking to reporters before his departure, Vance said he understood that the Iranian delegation had already arrived in Switzerland and that talks could continue for “a couple of days”.
“I can only be there for a day or two. I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue and make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue. Those are the two big things that I think we’re to be focused on. I’m sure the Iranians are going to have issues they’d like to discuss as well,” Vance said before his departure.
He further addressed the situation in Lebanon, particularly due to the Israeli strikes on the country, where ongoing tensions have raised concerns over the stability of the diplomatic process.
“Things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit. Marco and the entire team have been actively managing what’s going on in Lebanon. Despite the headlines, things are actually getting better there, and things are slowing down a little bit,” he said.
Vance added that the broader objective of the talks is to prevent escalation and ensure regional stability.
“It’s going to be something we’re just going to have to continuously manage to ensure that you know Israel and Lebanon are both safe and secure. That’s fundamentally the goal of this, to make the whole region safe and secure. The big problem is that you have somebody who will shoot and then somebody who will respond, and you kind of have a chicken-and-egg problem where you’ve just got to stop the shooting for long enough to get the ceasefire to keep hold; that’s what we’re going to try to do,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker and Chief Negotiator MB Ghalibaf has arrived in the Swiss capital of Zurich for the first round of technical talks with the US as part of the 14-point MoU, Iranian state media Press TV reported.
According to Press TV, the negotiation team is named “Minab 168” in honour of the victims of the Minab school incident, which Iranian officials have previously highlighted in diplomatic and political messaging during international engagements.
US President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian virtually signed the MoU on Wednesday aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching negotiations on a broader agreement, including the talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are already in Switzerland, where the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal is expected to take place on Sunday, US officials told Axios.
The Iranian delegation left Tehran shortly after the Iranian armed forces announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to violations of the ceasefire by Israel in Lebanon, which was an “integral part” of the MoU between the two sides.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, also arrived in Switzerland on Friday, as Qatar is considered one of the principal mediators facilitating contacts between Washington and Tehran. (ANI)
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