The Swiss government announced on Saturday that diplomats were at Burgenstock to facilitate the start of US-Iran negotiations, as US and Iranian officials travelled to the luxury resort to begin talks on a peace deal.
US envoy Steve Witkoff was on his way, Axios reported, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also heading to Switzerland, according to state media.
“Switzerland continues to provide a discreet and reliable setting to facilitate talks at Burgenstock on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran,” a spokesman for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs told The National.
“Diplomats from various countries currently present are continuing their efforts to maintain the dialogue,” he added. “For reasons of confidentiality, no further information can be provided regarding those present or the discussions.”
The US-Iran talks were set to begin on Friday, with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in attendance, but were delayed as preparations continued to secure the area in central Switzerland.
“The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed. Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing,” the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs told The National on Friday.
Switzerland has long acted as a neutral intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
The first round of US-Iran talks at Burgenstock, a resort on Lake Lucerne, is expected to focus on turning the interim agreement signed earlier this week into a broader and more durable deal, with negotiators racing against a 60-day deadline.
The central issue remains Iran's nuclear programme. Washington is seeking tighter restrictions on uranium enrichment, stronger monitoring mechanisms, and guarantees that Tehran will not pursue a nuclear weapon.
Iran is expected to press for clearer commitments on sanctions relief and economic incentives. The talks are also expected to address wider regional stability, including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which was blocked by Iran at the start of the war on February 28.
A major complication is the continued violence in Lebanon. Iranian officials have linked progress in the negotiations to an end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army has repeatedly targeted Lebanon on Saturday, killing over 30 people. Iran responded by claiming to have blocked the Strait of Hormuz again. The Fars agency attributed the move to what it described as “America’s blatant breach of promise and breach of treaty” over the implementation of a “first paragraph of the end-of-war agreement”.
The agreement also leaves several key issues unresolved, including Iran's ballistic missile programme and its support for regional militias and proxy groups.
Reports say that Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is in Burgenstock, as well as Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and key negotiator. Qatar and Pakistan have played key diplomatic roles in facilitating contact between the two sides and helping shape the negotiations.
