In a historic turning point for geopolitical stability, their delegations agreed on a “road map” aimed at reaching a final deal within sixty days that would put a definitive end to the war in the Middle East.
This development was achieved during the very first session of their negotiations in Switzerland, as announced jointly by the mediator countries, Pakistan and Qatar.
According to the joint statement of Islamabad and Doha, the two sides are laying the groundwork for the immediate start of new technical talks, which will continue within the week on Swiss soil. At the same time, a High Level Committee is set up to oversee the mediation process.
Security in the Straits of Hormuz and crisis management
As part of the first of these convergences, Washington and Tehran agreed on two critical steps to avoid further escalation:
- Straits of Hormuz hotline: A direct communication channel was established between the two parties, in order to “avoid incidents and communication problems for the safe passage of merchant ships through the Straits of Hormuz” for the 60-day period described in the original memorandum.
According to the memorandum, Iran will make “every effort” to ensure the “safe passage of merchant ships without any burden” from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa.
The Strait is a key lever of pressure for Iran throughout the negotiations. On Saturday, Iran’s military command said it would close the vital sea passage in response to Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon and the US’s “failure” to implement the deal to end the war.
- Conflict Management Core for Lebanon: It was decided to immediately set up a special mechanism, in which the USA, Iran, the Republic of Lebanon, as well as the mediators, will participate. The aim of this core is to end the hostilities in Lebanon – which have seriously jeopardized the cease-fire in the Middle East – and to have strong guarantees for the faithful observance of the end of military operations.
In a post on X, the head of Iranian diplomacy, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said that within the framework of the consultations, it is envisaged to lift restrictions on the export of oil and petrochemical products, as well as the release of part of frozen Iranian assets.
Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War. Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran.
1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi)
Background and moments of tension
Despite the positive result, the talks went through forty waves. The process was temporarily halted with direct threats against the Tehran delegation.
In particular, Trump said on Fox News that the US is ready to resume bombings against Iran and “take control” of the Strait of Hormuz if a final agreement is not reached.
