US and Iran to Resume Nuclear Talks in Switzerland Amid Regional Tensions

Pakistan announced that the postponed United States-Iran talks will commence on Sunday in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock, with Iranian officials including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveling to the venue. The meeting follows a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in the week that calls for a permanent end to military operations on all fronts and sets a 60-day timeline for a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.

In Washington, Vice President JD Vance said senior US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are already in Switzerland working on technical details and that he expects to join them within the next few days. Vance described the coordination of the talks as “always a delicate coordination dance.”

The talks are being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, with Qatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar holding preparatory meetings in the region. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed the Iranian delegation’s arrival and warned that Iran will remain firm in demanding fulfillment of U.S. obligations under the interim deal.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced renewed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon and what it described as a U.S. breach of cease-fire commitments. The IRGC warned ship crews against approaching the waterway, while the U.S. military reported that 55 commercial vessels transited the strait on Saturday and that safe passage remained intact.

The negotiations come after Israel’s continued strikes in southern Lebanon, which killed dozens of civilians and prompted Iran to close the strait as a pressure tactic. Analysts noted that the ongoing violence could complicate the implementation of the memorandum of understanding.