Iran delegation arrives in Switzerland for new talks with US

The Iranian delegation, named "Minab 168" in remembrance of children martyred in a US-Israeli strike on an elementary school in Minab on February 28, arrived in Zurich in the early hours of Sunday, June 21. The delegation is led by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, deputy of the secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati, a deputy oil minister, and several other officials.

Upon arrival in Switzerland, Ghalibaf posted on his X account that he believes all activities of the Iranian delegation are being observed by the innocent schoolchildren of Minab and the martyrs of Iran. Initial talks between Iran and the United States were planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.

On Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that final negotiations with the US remain conditional upon the implementation of five provisions of the memorandum of understanding, stressing that the MoU's durability depends entirely on the other side's conduct. The spokesman also noted that a trip to Switzerland planned for Friday was canceled after the presidents of Iran and the US digitally signed the memorandum of understanding, making the visit no longer urgently necessary.

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States was signed in the first minutes of June 18, 2026, by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump through a simultaneous digital process without an in-person ceremony. According to Mehr News, the delegation's visit marks a new phase in diplomatic engagement between the two countries.