Mediators Qatar and Pakistan have said the United States and Iran agreed on “a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days”, following what they described as “encouraging progress” during the first day of high-level talks in Switzerland.The discussions followed the signing of a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 17 that established a framework for de-escalation between Washington and Tehran and laid the groundwork for further negotiations.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe breakthrough came after a marathon 12-hour meeting at Lake Lucerne attended by senior officials from both countries.The joint statement also announced the creation of a “de-confliction cell” aimed at ending Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, alongside a high-level committee and direct communication channels designed to support further negotiations.US Vice President JD Vance led Washington’s delegation, alongside President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Iran’s delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.So what are the key takeaways from the talks?High-level committee, communication channelsA high-level committee has been established to “provide political oversight on the mediation”, according to a joint statement issued by Qatar and Pakistan, which acted as mediators in the negotiations. The statement said the committee had “agreed upon a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days”, with further technical talks expected to continue over the next two months. Advertisement “Chief negotiators will report regularly to the High Level Committee and lead working groups focused on nuclear, san …
