US and Iran to seek 'final deal' within 60 days under newly agreed roadmap
The United States and Iran agreed on Sunday to negotiate toward a war-ending deal within a 60-day timeframe, according to Pakistan and Qatar, which are mediating the ongoing talks in Switzerland.
The delegations agreed on Sunday to create a "High Level" committee to "provide political oversight" for the talks, and that new committee in turn agreed to a 60-day roadmap, the mediators said in a joint statement early on Monday.
The fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, remained a key point for Iranian negotiators going into Sunday’s talks, officials in Tehran said.
The U.S. and Iran agreed on Sunday to a “deconfliction cell,” a group that will include officials from Tehran and Washington alongside Lebanese officials. That group will seek "to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon as per the MoU," the mediators said.
Whether the "deconfliction cell" will be able to make headway in stopping the fighting in Lebanon will mark the "1st real test" for the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday.
Israel’s defense minister said in a statement on Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces did not plan to leave the areas in southern Lebanon where they’re fighting Hezbollah.
Araghchi otherwise praised Pakistan and Qatar for delivering "major progress" for their efforts in ending the war.
"Technical talks will continue for the remainder of the week at the Burgenstock resort on all issues," Pakistan and Qatar said in their joint statement. "The mediating parties will continue to do their utmost to ensure that the negotiations continue to be conducted in a constructive atmosphere with the aim of reaching a final deal."
