US and Iran agree on 60-day roadmap for final deal after first round of talks in Switzerland

After days of delays, walkouts, threats and a brief closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the United States and Iran have emerged from their first round of formal talks in Switzerland with something concrete, a 60-day roadmap toward a final deal to end the war, agreed upon by both sides in the early hours of Monday.

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar announced the outcome in a joint statement, with Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming on X that the first session of talks under the framework of the memorandum of understanding had concluded and that "parties from both the US and Iran have agreed to set up a de-confliction cell with Lebanon to stop military operations."

What was agreed

The agreement establishes several parallel structures designed to keep the process moving and prevent it from unravelling again.

A high-level committee will be set up to provide oversight on the mediation process, with chief negotiators from both the US and Iran reporting to it regularly. The committee's primary task will be to work toward a final deal within 60 days, while also laying the foundation for the immediate start of technical negotiations.

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A direct communication line between Washington and Tehran has also been established — specifically to prevent incidents and miscommunication that could threaten the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. That line is intended to reduce the risk of the kind of maritime flashpoints that repeatedly destabilised the ceasefire in recent weeks.

Both sides have additionally agreed to ensure adherence to the termination of military operations in Lebanon, as per the memorandum, addressing one of Tehran's core demands throughout the negotiating process.

How the talks nearly did not happen

The Switzerland negotiations were originally scheduled to begin on Friday. They did not. Iran was initially a no-show, citing continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon as the reason for its absence. The situation worsened when Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz again in response to those attacks, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten fresh strikes on Tehran if it did not stop Hezbollah from operating.

Talks finally began on Sunday, but the tensions did not disappear. Iranian officials declined to join a planned photo-op with their American counterparts and at one point walked out of the venue altogether. Throughout the negotiations, Lebanon remained the most difficult sticking point, Tehran has repeatedly made the cessation of Israeli military operations in the country a condition for progress, while fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has continued despite an earlier ceasefire agreement.