Swiss foreign minister meets US Vice president, Pakistani premier amid US-Iran talks

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on Sunday met with US Vice President JD Vance and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Burgenstock, Switzerland, amid ongoing US-Iran talks.

“Switzerland values Pakistan’s important role in supporting continued discussions on the implementation of the agreed MoU,” Cassis stated on US social media platform X following his meeting with Sharif.

He said he reaffirmed Switzerland’s readiness to support initiatives aimed at de-escalation, regional stability, and lasting peace.

“In a challenging context, the relationship of trust between Switzerland and Iran, reflected in our protecting power mandate, remains in the service of diplomacy and for peace and security in the Middle East,” he said in a separate message after meeting Vance.

He added that Switzerland “offered our good offices whenever they are needed.”

Cassis also said that starting the talks in Switzerland is “an essential first step” for the implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

He highlighted Switzerland’s role as the protecting power for US interests in Iran for nearly half a century, noting that it maintains trusted relations with both sides.

US and Iranian delegations arrived early in Switzerland for technical negotiations under the memorandum of understanding that was signed on Wednesday to end the months-long Middle East conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The talks in Burgenstock are led by US Vice President JD Vance and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the Iranian side, under Pakistani mediation.