The Lucerne Summit commenced on Sunday in Switzerland with the direct participation of the US and Iran, alongside mediators Qatar and Pakistan, to discuss implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and efforts to end the conflict between the two sides.
Speaking at the opening of the summit, held at the Burgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the gathering as “a great day for global peace,” saying intensive diplomatic efforts over recent weeks had led to the historic meeting between Washington and Tehran.
Sharif hoped the summit would produce outcomes paving the way for a comprehensive peace framework.
In turn, US Vice President JD Vance described the meeting as “historic,” noting that President Donald Trump had tasked the American delegation with pursuing diplomatic solutions to a range of issues and working toward “opening a new chapter” in regional relations.
Vance said the current phase marked the beginning of technical negotiations that would not resolve all outstanding differences but would provide an opportunity for the first direct meeting of its kind between the two sides. He added that the US administration, under President Trump’s direction, was seeking to reshape relations with the Iranian people.
He also highlighted what he described as significant progress achieved with Qatari and Pakistani partners, pointing to advances in ceasefire efforts in Lebanon, the resumption of oil flows and declining fuel prices.
Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed the importance of the summit for regional and global security, describing it as “the beginning of achieving our objectives” and affirming that efforts would continue toward a better future for the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the opening session of the summit but did not participate in the press conference held by the US vice president alongside the mediating parties.
