Qatar and Pakistan say they formed a Lebanon deconfliction mechanism after Iran-US talks in Switzerland

The first high-level round of talks under the understanding between the United States and Iran ended overnight in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with Qatar and Pakistan, the mediating states, issuing a joint statement. They said the meeting, attended by representatives of Iran, the United States and the two mediators, took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere and produced encouraging progress toward a further process of technical talks.

According to the statement, the sides agreed to establish a senior committee to provide political oversight of the mediation, with negotiating team leaders reporting regularly to it and leading working groups on the nuclear file, sanctions, and monitoring and dispute resolution. The committee also set a roadmap for reaching a final agreement within 60 days and said technical talks would continue immediately.

The mediators also announced a communications channel for the period defined in the memorandum to prevent incidents and misunderstandings and to ensure safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, they said a deconfliction cell would be created for Lebanon, through the mediators, to help ensure the implementation of the ceasefire of military activity there. Israel was not mentioned in the announcement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the mediation “tireless” and said it had produced significant progress toward ending the war in Lebanon. He wrote on X that the deconfliction cell would be “the first real test.” In his post, he also said export exemptions for oil and petrochemical products had been granted, the blockade lifted, part of frozen assets released, and a major plan launched for Iran’s economic reconstruction and development.