The Dictatorship
U.S., Iran delegations set to begin hashing out a permanent peace
U.S. and Iranian officials are set to meet Sunday in Switzerland to work toward fleshing out a deal that would permanently end the months-long war that has killed thousands, roiled the Middle East and disrupted global trade.
The American contingent of Vice President JD Vancespecial envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will sit opposite an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir were to continue their role as mediators.
After his arrival Saturday, Ghalibaf posted a photo himself walking beneath a Meraj Airlines jet emblazoned with the hashtag #minab168. It is a reference to the number of lives lost when an airstrike at the start of the war hit a school in Minabnear the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. intelligence agencies long ago concluded American forces were to blameaccording to multiple reports, but the Pentagon has yet to acknowledge responsibility.
The Switzerland meeting was originally set for Friday and intended as a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding the U.S. and Iran reached earlier this month, a framework for a more detailed agreement. That schedule grew muddled after leaders of both countries and mediators signed the document remotely, raising the question of whether top dignitaries would attend at all.
Officials said the meeting would still take place but instead of simply the ceremony, it would include the first round of negotiations over the specifics of a permanent peace deal. The memorandum set out a 60-day window to establish that fuller compact, “extendable with mutual consent.”
President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had signed the memorandum Wednesday, along with Sharif, who primarily brokered the agreement.
Almost from the moment the memorandum was announced, questions about what it actually entails and events in the region threatened to derail it. Touted as a significant step toward ending the war, it was nevertheless widely panned by lawmakers in the U.S.
The ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon also cast a pall on the prospect of the Switzerland talks, with the Israeli military and the Tehran-backed militia accusing each other of violating a ceasefire.
The signing of the Islamabad MOU, named after the mediator’s capital, came approximately 15 weeks after Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, starting a war that has spilled over to neighboring countries. Nearly 3,900 have died in Lebanon, according to authorities there, with a similar number in Iran.
The war has sent the price of oil and gas skyrocketing after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade route at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The memorandum states that Iran will ensure the safe and free passage of commercial vessels through the strait for the duration of the 60 days, but will work with Oman “to define the future administration and maritime services” for the waterway, which had been open to all before the war.
On Saturday, Iran declared the Strait closed again, citing Israel’s strikes in Lebanon on Friday night. U.S. Central Command disputed that the waterway remained shut to commercial vessels, saying that traffic in the strait in fact increased Saturday.
As part of the memorandum, Iran also reaffirmed that it will not “procure or develop nuclear weapons,” a key issue Trump cited for starting the conflict but a promise Iran had long made publicly. The U.S. and Iran agreed to discuss how Tehran will dispose of its highly enriched uranium stockpile, with supervision from the U.S. and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Notably, it does not mention the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile program, a chief concern for U.S. allies in the region and one the Trump administration had insisted was another central goal of the war.
The agreement also calls for an “immediate and permanent termination” of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Despite the memo’s explicit inclusion of Lebanon, Israeli leaders did not partake in the signing and have issued conflicting statements about it. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israel’s war against Hezbollah is not part of the agreement.
The memorandum effectively awarded a win to Iran on sanctions, which have long hampered the country’s economy. The U.S. agreed to work toward ending its sanctions against Iran — including primary and secondary sanctions — some of which have existed since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.