United States and Iran have taken another step this Monday, almost the definitive one, in the de-escalation of a war in the Middle East that dates back to last February 28.
Delegations from both countries reached an agreement in the early hours of the morning at the alpine complex of Bürgenstock (Switzerland) to establish a 60-day roadmap aimed at moving towards a definitive peace agreement, within the framework of the so-called Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
From that meeting, a High-Level Committee has been born, which will be responsible for promoting the agreed-upon path to peace as well as supervising the technical working groups. The delegations have been led by US Vice President JD Vance and by the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, along with the Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, who left Switzerland this Monday.
JD Vance has highlighted "progress" in the contacts with Iran held in Switzerland until Sunday morning, and has assured that there is "a very good basis" for reaching a definitive agreement. In a joint statement released on X, Qatar and Pakistan, mediators in the conflict, have confirmed that this 60-day roadmap will lay the groundwork "for the immediate start of new technical talks".
🔊PR No: 1️⃣5️⃣1️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) June 22, 2026
Joint Statement by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Regarding the Conclusion of Lake Lucerne Summit, First High-Level Committee Meeting with Participation of the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran pic.twitter.com/2G3PAf7LVY
IAEA nuclear inspections
"We have laid a very good foundation for a successful final agreement. The final agreement is the 'house'. We have laid the foundations; we have not built the house, but we have laid a solid foundation to reach a good point for the American people," JD Vance said at a press conference in Bürgenstock, the luxury complex that hosted the meetings.
According to Vance, the talks have allowed "significant progress," although he admitted that issues remain pending on the nuclear and economic fronts, and in tasks in the Strait of Hormuz, such as demining and the recovery of maritime traffic.
Featured story
Vance highlights progress with Iran and foresees imminent nuclear inspections
3 minutes
Washington has highlighted that Iran will accept the return of nuclear inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the first time since the attack on February 28, and has indicated that these controls could begin almost immediately.
"Last night, around two in the morning, we tried to call some inspectors. As expected, at those hours there weren't many people answering the phone. But we believe that some of those conversations with the inspectors and with the IAEA could take place even today," he explained about the review schedule of Iranian nuclear facilities, one of the points included in the preliminary agreement signed last week.
Israeli Offensive in Lebanon
Regarding the situation in Lebanon, where Israel maintains its attacks and military deployment, Vance has avoided setting the withdrawal of Israeli forces as an indispensable condition for the final agreement, as Tehran demands, and has emphasized that both Israel's security and Lebanese sovereignty are priorities.
"This is going to be an ongoing conversation. The Israelis have been very clear: they have no territorial intentions in southern Lebanon," he acknowledged, before warning that the Shiite party-militia Hezbollah poses a threat due to the constant launching of projectiles against northern Israel.
As for the dialogue with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the vice president has emphasized that constant contact is maintained with Israel and with other regional actors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Light is beginning to be seen at the end of the road in Lebanon, after the Israeli army received the order to cease clashes with Hezbollah and Israel lifted all concentration restrictions in the north of the country, in the border area with Lebanon, this Monday.
However, Israeli authorities warned this Monday that they do not contemplate a military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, alleging the need to guarantee the security of the north of the country, while denouncing Iran's "indirect occupation" through the Shiite militia Hezbollah.
The number of deaths as a consequence of Israel's attacks on Lebanese territory since March 2, the date on which the Israeli Army and Hezbollah resumed their clashes, has already surpassed 4,000 deaths and 12,000 injured, according to Lebanese authorities reported this Monday.
In parallel, the Lebanese presidency has confirmed a joint call from JD Vance, Jared Kushner, and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, with President Joseph Aoun, focused on consolidating the ceasefire in the Arab country, the cessation of the Israeli military escalation, and the measures to be adopted.
Direct Communication Between Tehran and Washington
On the other hand, mediators have established a direct contact channel between Iran and the United States with the objective of reducing the risk of incidents or misunderstandings and ensuring the safe transit of commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route through which, before the military escalation, approximately one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbon trade circulated.
Precisely this Monday, the United States Department of the Treasury has announced a temporary 60-day moratorium allowing the export of Iranian oil within the framework of that roadmap agreed upon in Switzerland.
However, the decision comes after Iran announced on Saturday the closure of the strait in response to the clashes registered in Lebanon, a measure that has become ineffective after the start of the new negotiation framework opened in Switzerland.
In parallel, the agreement contemplates the creation of a specific crisis management mechanism, conceived as a conflict resolution group to oversee compliance with the ceasefire in Lebanon. The measure is adopted after the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday and Saturday, which left around fifty victims in Lebanese territory and put the continuity of the diplomatic process at risk.
Iranian Delegation Travels to Oman to Discuss Strait of Hormuz Management
Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf and Abbas Araqchi traveled this Monday to Muscat, the capital of Oman, with the objective of discussing with the Omani authorities various issues related to the Strait of Hormuz, after the signing of the preliminary agreement with the United States last week.
The head of Foreign Affairs himself has reported on the trip in a brief note disseminated on his social networks, in which he has pointed out that Qalibaf will hold a meeting with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik, in which ways to reinforce "bilateral cooperation" and "joint efforts" aimed at strengthening understandings regarding the "management of the Strait of Hormuz" will be addressed.
For his part, the Iranian Foreign Minister has a meeting on his agenda with his Omani counterpart, Badr al Busaidi, about which no additional details have been offered for now.
At the same time, the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, will undertake a state visit to Pakistan this Tuesday, invited by the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, to specifically discuss the pre-agreement sealed with the United States.
An inaugural session well received by all parties
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has declared the meeting concluded, stating in a message published on the social network X that the talks took place in a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and that "encouraging progress" has been made. Sharif has participated directly in the process as a mediator, accompanied by the Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in addition to a technical delegation made up of representatives from the Foreign Affairs and Interior ministries.
Alhamdulillah, the First High-Level Committee Meeting under the framework of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has concluded successfully in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 22, 2026
The discussions were held in a positive and constructive atmosphere and yielded encouraging progress,… pic.twitter.com/uvA0SBKfvf
For his part, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, has positively assessed the progress made during the night of June 21 to 22 in Bürgenstock, calling the result a "constructive step" that allows for the continuity of the political and technical process opened between the parties.
Thus, the inaugural session of the negotiations for a definitive pact between the United States and Iran has concluded with a positive assessment by all those involved. Tehran, for its part, has welcomed these steps, although it has reiterated that the ceasefire in Lebanon conditions progress towards a definitive agreement, insisting that the basis of the dialogue is "commitment in exchange for commitment".
However, the Swiss government has not yet specified the location of the next technical negotiation rounds planned for the coming weeks.