U.S. and Iran End 18-Hour Swiss Talks With Road Map for Final Deal

The first round of high-level U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland ended after 18 hours, with both sides agreeing on a road map toward a final agreement within 60 days and on a safety mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday morning that the negotiations in Switzerland had concluded between the Iranian delegation, led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and the U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.

A spokesman in Tehran said technical teams from both sides would continue working separately, while the mediators, Qatar and Pakistan, were expected to publish a formal text soon outlining the general points on which preliminary understandings were reached. He said the sides agreed on regulating a mechanism for freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and added that the current round had established the basis for final talks and made good progress on implementing the other side’s commitments.

In a joint statement, Qatar and Pakistan said the first senior-level round under the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding ended in Birr, Switzerland, in a positive and constructive atmosphere. They said an encouraging level of progress was reached, including the creation of a mechanism for continued technical talks. The statement added that the senior committee agreed on a road map for a final deal in 60 days, and set up a communication channel to prevent incidents and misunderstandings and to ensure safe passage for commercial vessels through Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also called the understandings a significant advance in a post on X. He praised the “relentless” mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, said the talks created a real breakthrough, and noted that “the first real test will be the de-escalation cell in Lebanon” that had been agreed. He also said the package includes exemptions for oil and petrochemical exports from sanctions, the lifting of the economic blockade, and the release of part of Iran’s frozen assets abroad, alongside a broad development program aimed at rebuilding Iran’s economy. An American diplomat involved in the talks told Channel 12’s Barak Ravid that the discussions started Sunday morning and continued almost nonstop, with the parties also addressing de-escalation mechanisms in Lebanon, enforcement of the ceasefire, the Hormuz issue, and all elements of a nuclear deal.