Iran, US peace talks advance with progress

Progress appears to be holding in the technical talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland, with the establishment of four working groups to oversee the implementation of the mechanisms of their interim peace agreement, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

Gharibabadi, head of Iran's technical negotiating team, said an agreement was reached on several key measures by the high-level follow-up committee on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which met from Sunday into the early hours of Monday.

The Iranian official is among those remaining in Switzerland after fourparty talks between Iran, the US, Pakistan, and Qatar to continue negotiations, which are expected to last a week.

According to a report by Iran's Mehr News, four working groups will be formed for sanctions termination, nuclear issues, reconstruction and economic development, and monitoring and implementation.

Future negotiations will then be conducted by a high-level committee.

Oman and Iran will form a team to reach an agreement on "administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz" and associated costs and services, they said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The two states will hold talks with coastal countries and other concerned parties, the statement said.

Apart from the communication line to be established among the MoU's member states for the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a conflict prevention unit for Lebanon is also to be created, with Pakistani and Qatari participation.

Meanwhile, Gharibabadi confirmed the US would issue a general license for the sale of Iranian oil, petrochemicals, petroleum products, and related services. This will be published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces US economic sanctions programs.

In Pakistan, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday for talks with officials who have been mediating the negotiations.

In the US, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran has "fully and completely agreed" to allow nuclear inspectors to return to the country.

"Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding that bilateral negotiations are "going well".

However, at a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran's delegation in Switzerland did not meet with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

Baghaei said there was no clear schedule for the IAEA to examine the Iranian nuclear facilities.

Trump also said on Tuesday that any Iranian funds unfrozen through sanctions relief or released by the US Treasury would go into a Washington-controlled escrow account, which Tehran could tap to purchase US food and medical supplies.

Frozen assets

Baghaei earlier said Iran would spend its released frozen assets as it sees fit following the US government's remarks.

Abdul Wahed Jalal Nori, a lecturer in the Department of Fundamental and Inter-Disciplinary Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia, told China Daily that the "institutionalization of dialogue suggests both sides are testing a pathway from confrontation to managed coexistence".

Abdul Wahed said the latest agreement addresses symptoms rather than root causes.

"While sanctions relief and safeguards around the Strait of Hormuz reduce immediate tensions, the fundamental disputes over Iran's regional influence, proxy networks, and the regional security architecture remain unresolved," he said.

Abdul Wahed noted that the real test is whether this evolves into a sustainable political framework or becomes another temporary pause before the next cycle of escalation.

"Neither Washington nor Iran wanted a full-scale war; each wanted leverage. What emerged is not trust, but a pragmatic arrangement driven by mutual exhaustion and the recognition that escalation was becoming too costly," he said.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com