Mediators announce Lebanon de-confliction mechanism after 18-hour U.S.-Iran talks

Qatar and Pakistan, which are mediating talks between the United States and Iran, issued a joint statement after the first day of high-level negotiations in Switzerland that lasted 18 hours. They said the sides agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” for Lebanon, with the mediators involved, to ensure compliance with ending military operations there.

Israel is not a party to the talks and was not mentioned at all in the statement, even though the fighting in Lebanon is between the IDF and Hezbollah. The statement said technical talks will continue through the rest of the week at the Bürgenstock resort on all issues.

According to the mediators, the discussions were held in a “positive and constructive atmosphere” and produced “encouraging progress,” including a mechanism for further technical talks. The sides also agreed to establish a high-level committee to provide political oversight of the mediation, and the heads of the negotiating teams will report regularly to it.

The committee also agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days. No further details were released immediately.