BURGENSTOCK, Switzerland — US and Iranian delegations arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for technical negotiations under the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this week to end the Middle East conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.The talks in Burgenstock are being led by US Vice President JD Vance and, on the Iranian side, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with Pakistan serving as mediator.Before departing on Saturday, Vance said US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already in Switzerland to address the “technical elements” of the negotiations.Vance, who arrived at Emmen Air Base north of Burgenstock, also said he was “very confident” that Washington and Tehran could preserve the ceasefire established under the agreement known as the Islamabad Memorandum.Iran’s delegation arrived earlier in Zurich, according to Iranian state media.Following his arrival, Ghalibaf wrote on the social media platform X that he hoped to honor the sacrifices of those killed during the conflict.“I consider the innocent children of Minab and all the martyrs of dear Iran to be watching over my every action and behavior at every moment. They see us and expect things of us,” he wrote, referring to victims of the conflict, including those killed in a strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab on Feb. 28.On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ending the conflict that began on Feb. 28 and launching broader negotiations.Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir are expected to play key mediation roles during the talks.An emergency session on the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has reportedly been added to the opening day’s agenda. Citing a diplomat attending the talks, CBS News reported that the issue is expected to be the first item discussed by the US and Iranian delegations.According to official figures, Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed more than 4,000 people, wounded nearly 12,000 others and displaced more than one million residents.Israel continues to maintain a military presence in areas of southern Lebanon, while neither Israel, Hezbollah nor the Lebanese government is participating in the Switzerland negotiations.
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