Sharif meets JD Vance as US-Iran talks open in Switzerland

Shehbaz Sharif met US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the US-Iran technical talks in Switzerland. The encounter underlined Pakistan's visible role in the negotiations as regional tensions and Hormuz uncertainty persisted.

In Short

• Technical talks resumed in Burgenstock after delays linked to Israel-Hezbollah firing
• Pakistan arrived with Army chief Asim Munir and a senior delegation
• Vance publicly acknowledged Islamabad's role in facilitating the US-Iran negotiation track

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met US Vice President JD Vance in Switzerland on Sunday on the sidelines of US-Iran technical-level talks aimed at restoring peace in West Asia, Sharif's office said. The meeting took place as senior officials from Pakistan, Iran, Qatar and Switzerland gathered for the talks.

Sharif arrived in Switzerland earlier in the day with Army chief Asim Munir and a delegation. The talks are part of a 60-day negotiation window that began after US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a Memorandum of Understanding last week.

In a post on X, Sharif's office said: "Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif meeting with Vice President of the United States JD Vance on the sidelines of US-Iran technical level talks as a follow-up of Islamabad MoU, being held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, 21 June 2026." The office also shared a video clip showing Sharif and Munir shaking hands with Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.

Before the meeting, Vance told Pakistan TV that he acknowledged Islamabad's role in the US-Iran negotiations. At the same time, Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who arrived in Iran without prior announcement on Saturday, is learnt to have met President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran.

An Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is already in Switzerland. Mediators from Qatar are also expected to take part in the talks, which Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said would begin shortly. Several senior Swiss officials are also present at the venue in Burgenstock.

The technical talks were supposed to begin on Friday, but were delayed mainly because of fresh rounds of firing between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The MoU signed last week led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which about one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass in normal times. Iran said on Saturday that it had closed the waterway again, citing an Israeli attack on Lebanon. While Vance said it is open for shipping, Trump said the US would impose American tolls in the crucial waterway if a final deal with Iran is not reached within 60 days.

The meeting between Sharif and Vance came as delegations assembled in Switzerland for the delayed US-Iran talks under the 60-day framework set by last week's MoU, amid continuing tensions in the region and uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz.

With PTI Inputs

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