“ROADMAP”
In the weeks and days before the US-Iran talks, the war in Lebanon between Israel and Iran’s close ally Hezbollah has threatened to collapse the ceasefire, though the country has been relatively calm since Sunday.
Israeli leaders have expressed deep misgivings over the deal signed last week and have insisted that their troops will continue to occupy southern Lebanon and are free to respond to any threats there.
Tehran and Washington, meanwhile, have set up communication lines to end the fighting in Lebanon and to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open, mediators said.
Iran closed the strait, through which much of the world’s oil and gas travels in peacetime, early in the war, sending economic shockwaves across the globe.
Before the conflict began, there was free international passage through the strait, but Tehran appears keen to monetise the waterway as part of any deal.
It is also set to get some form of sanctions relief from Washington, with some assets unfrozen.
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the negotiators reached an agreement on a “roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days”, with technical talks to continue for the rest of the week at the Swiss resort.
“Encouraging progress has been made, including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks,” they said, detailing a contact channel set up to “avoid incidents and miscommunication” in the Strait of Hormuz.
A “de-confliction cell” between the parties and the Lebanese authorities has also been agreed to prevent fighting from erupting again, they said.
“Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end the Lebanon War,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a social media post after the high-level talks in Switzerland.
“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,” he wrote.
