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Pakistan to join US-Iran talks
Pakistan said US-Iran talks postponed on Friday will begin in Switzerland on Sunday, with Tehran announcing it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
“Pakistan says talks between the United States and Iran which were postponed on Friday will begin in Switzerland on Sunday, as Tehran announced it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz because of continued Israeli attacks in Lebanon”
Al Jazeera reported that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, along with Qatari mediators, will join the US-Iran talks on Sunday in the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock.
The Express Tribune said Shehbaz Sharif departed for Switzerland on Saturday night to attend technical-level talks between the United States and Iran scheduled for tomorrow in Burgenstock under the framework of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The Express Tribune also said the Prime Minister’s Office stated that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir will participate in the talks, and that representatives from the United States and Iran will participate along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar.
Hormuz closure and shifting momentum
Al Jazeera said Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that an Iranian delegation, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, was heading to Switzerland, and that Iran’s state broadcaster reported the negotiating team had arrived in Zurich.
Al Jazeera also reported that the Iranians see Israel’s continued bombardment of southern Lebanon as a serious breach of the MoU, with James Bays saying, "The Iranians see this as a serious breach of the MoU".
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted US Vice President JD Vance saying, "I can only be there for a day or two," as he departed for Switzerland following a one-day delay.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty further reported that Trump insisted there will be no tolls charged for Hormuz transit during or after the 60-day ceasefire period unless imposed by the United States, and that CENTCOM said 55 merchant ships transited with safe passage intact.
What’s at stake next
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said technical-level talks between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday, with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar participating.
“ISLAMABAD: The United States and Iran will hold technical-level talks in Switzerland on Sunday, with Pakistan’s prime minister and army chief expected to attend, according to officials in Islamabad on Saturday, as Tehran reimposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz over continuing Israeli attacks in Lebanon, testing the durability of a newly signed accord ahead of the next phase of negotiations”
The Express Tribune said the Swiss Foreign Ministry was providing a “discreet and reliable setting” in Burgenstock for talks on the implementation of the MoU, and that for reasons of confidentiality no further information could be provided.
Al Jazeera said the MoU stipulates that a final deal should be reached within 60 days, “extendable with mutual consent,” and that progress was difficult after Iran failed to send its delegation when Israel’s attacks in Lebanon continued into Saturday.
Al Jazeera also reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it was re-imposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz and warned ship crews not to approach the waterway, while US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said, "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz."
