Qatar to host U.S.-Iran interim deal signing at Swiss mountain resort

The signing ceremony for the interim agreement between the United States and Iran is now expected to take place on Friday at the Bürgenstock Hotel near Lucerne, Switzerland, according to U.S. media reports. Local reports say the Swiss resort has already stopped taking new reservations as preparations for the event intensify.

Switzerland says its role is limited to logistics, while Qatar, the main mediator in the talks, will be the official host and will pay for the ceremony. The small Gulf state has already played a major part in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

The luxury Bürgenstock resort is also owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, adding to the country’s involvement in the event. This is the second time in a short period that the site has hosted a gathering of the global political elite.

In 2024, the resort hosted a peace conference on the war in Ukraine. Then-Swiss President Viola Amherd convened several prominent heads of state and government in central Switzerland, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later gave the summit a positive assessment.