Iran’s supreme leader approved the memorandum of understanding with the United States with reservations, but uncertainty reigns over the start of negotiations, initially scheduled for this Friday in Switzerland before being postponed.
The negotiations scheduled for this Friday, June 19, in Switzerland, between Iran and the United States with a view to an agreement to end the conflict in the Middle East have been postponed sine die, announced the Swiss government, a few hours after the announcement of the cancellation of the vice-president’s departure American JD Vance for the Alpine country.
“The discussions planned between the United States, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed. Switzerland remains prepared to facilitate these discussions. The corresponding preparatory work is continuing,” announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a message sent to AFP, without provide details on a future date for these talks.
These negotiations, with a renewable duration of 60 days, must be focused on the Iranian nuclear program, after the framework agreement putting an end to the conflict launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel, which left thousands dead, mainly in Iran and in Lebanon, and shook the world economy.
Confusion around the negotiation process
Some confusion already surrounded the start of the negotiating process. There was initially an obvious cacophony around the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, finally initialed in two stages, Sunday by electronic means and Wednesday at the Château de Versailles, in France, by remote pen.
Initially, the text was to be signed this Friday in Switzerland, but the Vice-President of the United States JD Vance, who was to represent his country there, postponed his visit, as did the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose mediation was decisive.
“Plans for upcoming technical discussions have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been preparing to leave at the first opportunity. But the logistics for these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. At the moment, the vice president will not leave this evening,” detailed the White House in a press release.
But since the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, it took more than two and a half months of negotiations to arrive at this text allowing in particular to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the end of the American naval blockade, as well as the prospect of a lifting of sanctions against Iran.
