Iran war day 115: Lebanon truce appears to hold as Switzerland talks end

Mediators Qatar and Pakistan hail ‘encouraging progress’ on the first day of Iran-us-talks" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="150396" data-entity-type="event">Iran-US talks.The first round of talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland has concluded, with mediators saying “encouraging progress” has been made, “including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks”.Mediators Pakistan and Qatar say the parties have agreed to establish a high-level committee to oversee the process. Chief negotiators will report to it and lead working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions and dispute resolution.Technical negotiations, however, will continue this week as the two sides aim to discuss a host of issues, including Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.Here’s what we know as the war enters its 115th day.Diplomacy According to Pakistan and Qatar, the US and Iran have agreed on a 60-day roadmap to reach a final deal. A high-level committee has been established to provide political oversight of the mediation. Chief negotiators will regularly report to the committee and oversee working groups, including on Tehran’s nuclear programme and US sanctions on Iran. The parties have set up “a communication line” on the Strait of Hormuz and a “de-confliction cell” to end military operations in Lebanon. Thomas Warrick, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, says the upcoming technical talks will be “really hard” and could take longer than the 60 days included in the interim deal. “You’re not going to have a deal on the nuclear file, without also having a deal on the sanctions and the frozen assets,” Warrick told Al Jazeera. “So this is a situation where one side gives on what the other side wants the most and then gives up in return what the other side wants.”