High-level talks between Iran and America have resulted in very good progress.
Vice President J.D. Vance said, as he departed Switzerland on Monday, that the two sides had agreed to a road map toward reaching a final agreement to end the war within 60 days.
“We laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal,” Vance said in a press conference before leaving for America. He added, “The final deal is the house.” We have established the groundwork. We have not built the house, but we have laid a successful foundation to get the American people a better place.”
Technical talks were continuing in the mountain resort of Bürgenstock after the first round of marathon talks between senior leaders of the two countries. They had a difficult start, first being cancelled and then facing new threats from President Donald Trump.
Vance confirmed that Iran had threatened to pull out over those comments, but he defended Trump. Vance said, “We told the Iranians yesterday that when you engage in what we might call ‘millennium trash talk’, you should expect the President of the United States to respond and correct the record.”
The talks ultimately resulted in a joint statement issued by mediators Qatar and Pakistan, which struck a uniformly positive tone and described a “constructive environment.” Mediators said Washington and Tehran agreed to establish new communication lines to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon.
Vance said Iran had agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to return to the country.
He also said Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner had come up with “a very interesting solution” to freeing up Iran’s assets, which would involve US and Qatari approval and then using the money to purchase US soy, corn and wheat. He said it was a “classic Trump deal.”
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Monday that the negotiating team, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, had left Switzerland after about 18 hours of intensive talks and consultations. But the agency said Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was leading the Iranian team in the technical talks.
