US, Iran to meet in Switzerland on Friday for agreement talks
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Geneva,: The United States and Iran are set to hold their first meeting on Friday at the Buergenstock mountain resort in Switzerland to discuss the implementation of their agreement, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Switzerland welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries, describing it as an important step towards reducing tensions in the region.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said no further details regarding the agenda or discussions planned for the meeting could be shared at this stage.
The planned talks come after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday strongly defended the agreement with Iran, calling it a major diplomatic achievement that helped prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East, reopened the Strait of Hormuz, and permanently prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at a lengthy news conference after the G7 summit in France, Trump described the agreement as a breakthrough achieved through a combination of military pressure and diplomacy.
“On Sunday, we reached an agreement with Iran that achieves everything we set out to accomplish — everything and much more,” Trump said.
He said the agreement focused on ending the ongoing conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Trump argued that continued military action could have prolonged instability in the Gulf region and disrupted global energy markets.
He also indicated that the United States could accept Iran maintaining a civilian nuclear programme under certain conditions, giving one of his clearest signals yet about Washington’s possible approach in the next stage of negotiations with Tehran.
When asked whether Iran could continue a civilian nuclear programme if it complied with the agreement, Trump acknowledged the complexity of the issue.
He questioned Iran’s justification for its nuclear ambitions, pointing to the country’s significant oil reserves and saying Tehran only needed nuclear energy for electricity purposes.
Trump said he has long challenged Iran’s argument that its nuclear programme is solely aimed at civilian energy production, given its extensive oil and gas resources.
With IANS inputs
