What we know so far about the US-Iran ceremony in Switzerland

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkThe Palace Hotel at the luxury Burgenstock Resort, overlooking Lake Lucerne in Switzerland [File:Shutterstock]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 18 Jun 202618 Jun 2026Representatives from the United States and Iran are expected to meet in Switzerland on Friday to mark a deal ending the US-Israeli war on Iran and to start the next stage of negotiations.The 14-point memorandum of understanding setting out a framework for talks during a 60-day negotiation period was signed by the US and Iran on Wednesday.Here is what we know so far about what’s happening in Switzerland.Where will the ceremony be held?A ceremony followed by talks is expected to be held at the Burgenstock Resort in Stansstad, near Lucerne in central Switzerland.It is owned by Katara Hospitality, part of the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar which helped mediate peace in the conflict.Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from Burgenstock, said: “One of the advantages is its location – it’s on top of a mountain, so that gives you security. It also gives you the ability to control access. I’ve covered quite a lot of diplomatic events over the years in Switzerland, but diplomacy with the prying eyes of the media and 24-7 coverage is different.“I remember the early talks on Iran, held in 2013, took place at the InterContinental Hotel in the centre of Geneva.“During that time, reporters sat in the coffee shop all day long buying coffees so we could bother people as they were coming in to try and find out what was going on. That’s not happening this time.”Also reporting from Burgenstock on Thursday, Al Jazeera’s correspondent Osama bin Javaid said: “There is a helicopter going up and down, we’ve seen the military and the Swiss police doing their rounds. High-stakes diplomacy requires high-level security, and that is what is being provided. And that is why it is going to be interesting to see who actually makes it, how deep these talks commence and what happens on the day after.“This is not just a ceremonial signing ceremony because the documents have already been signed. It is the official kickoff of the 59 days remaining now for these sides to come to a conclusion.”The same venue hosted an international peace summit on Ukraine in 2024, the two-day summit attended by about 100 delegations from different nations and was aimed at putting a plan in place to end the war. It was attended by then-US Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as diplomats from many other nations.While the vast majority of participants signed on to the short communique issued at the end of the summit, several key nations did not. Several major Global South countries cited Russia’s absence or Israel’s presence as reasons for not accepting the communique.Who is going to Switzerland on Friday?Details of who will be there have not been made public and on Thursday it was increasingly unclear whether any high-ranking officials would go at all.Until yesterday, a formal signing ceremony had been expected on Friday, with US Vice President JD Vance and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.But as the signing has already happened, it is understood that talks for the next stage of the agreement will begin on Friday, possibly following a smaller ceremony to mark the occasion.“Currently, the plan remains for the United States and Iran, along with the mediators Pakistan and Qatar and other involved countries, to meet tomorrow at the Burgenstock for initial negotiations on the implementation of the agreement,” the Swiss foreign ministry said on Thursday.However, also on Thursday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif cancelled his trip to Switzerland, his spokesperson told the AFP news agency.“The proposed visit has been postponed as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has already been electronically signed, has entered into force, and is now under implementation,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said, adding that Pakistan would support the next phase of several “technical-level” tracks.As a result, the whole event can be expected to be downgraded, Al Jazeera’s Bays said.“If the Pakistani PM isn’t coming, there is a question of diplomatic protocol. There will not be people of a similar stature. It will definitely go down a grade when you have these sorts of diplomatic events, as everyone has to be at the same level.“That’s one of the sort of basic rules of international diplomacy. So it’s unlikely that we’re now going to see JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf here. Some Pakistani media are saying that we’re going to proceed to technical talks.”On Thursday, Vance told US media that he planned to travel to Switzerland for talks, but did not know when that would happen.What is the agreement about?The US provided details of the 14-point memorandum of understanding it reached with Iran on Wednesday.Neither has released a physical copy, but a US official read out the text during a call with reporters on Wednesday. Iranian officials have yet to confirm the US version of the text.The US official said that, beyond reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, Washington would also immediately grant sanctions waivers for Iran’s fossil fuel sector.Both sides have stressed that this initial arrangement is only a starting point for 60 days of talks on deeper issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme, its backing for regional proxies and how the Strait of Hormuz will be managed in future.