US-Iran talks: Hope and skepticism in the Swiss alps
An end to fighting and relief from a global energy crunch is a welcome development, but critics say the US may have rushed into a
An end to fighting and relief from a global energy crunch is a welcome development, but critics say the US may have rushed into a bad deal. US-Iran talks in Switzerland will reveal more. It's not the first time the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock is playing host to history-makers. Over the decades this mountain hideaway has welcomed rockstars, world leaders, and even been the site of past peace deal signings. Delegations from the US and Iran are due to meet there on Friday, capping off a rollercoaster week of diplomacy that began with a social media post Sunday evening from US President Donald Trump telling the "ships of the world" to "start your engines." Despite Trump's announcement that the US and Iran had reached a "peace agreement," no details were released. Iranian regime-aligned media began leaking elements of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), and news emerged that both sides had electronically signed a preliminary agreement. Trump said the "official" signing would take place on Friday in Switzerland. As the week went on, US officials fended off questions about the tentative deal, while Trump travelled to France for the G7 leaders' summit. With pressure building, Trump signed the the official text himself, earlier than expected, over a lavish dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Versailles on Wednesday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed in Tehran. Trump signed the deal earlier than expected at a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron Image: AFP The MoU kicks off 60 days of negotiations, with the future of Iran's nuclear program in focus. On Thursday, the Swiss government said "initial negotiations" with the US and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar, are still planned to go ahead. All this after months of missiles and drones being fired across the Middle East claiming thousands of lives, most of them Iranians, along with 13 US servicemembers, while upending the global economy. But this is only the beginning of the story — and the question looming over the Swiss mountain talks is exactly what kind of history will be made.
Trump: 'They don't want to get bombed' We sat Trump's G7 press conference on Wednesday, as he espoused the benefits of his new framework agreement with Iran. In what seemed like an hour-long greatest-hits montage of controversial lines from the last few days, Trump praised Tehran's new leadership, claimed he had achieved regime change and prevented a "nuclear holocaust," and reiterated threats to "bomb the hell" out of Iran if they don't reach a broader deal. When asked what made him so sure that Iran won't impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, as outlined in the framework text: "Common sense. They don't want to get bombed," he said. G7 wraps up after three days of relative harmony To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'A sigh of relief' G7 leaders gave Trump a strong show of support on Wednesday. French President Macron was resolute in his assessment that the agreement was a "wise" move, and offered to deploy a Franco-British mission to the Strait to assist implementation — something Trump quickly shrugged off. Rowena Binti Abdul Razak, a London-based lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies, agrees that the announcement is a "good step." "It is the start of what we hope to be a longer peace agreement between the US and Iran. It will definitely calm a lot of tensions that have been growing in the region and beyond the region," she told DW. "The energy crisis not only affects governments. It affects ordinary people. So, I think everyone's going to be, at least for now, breathing a sigh of relief," said Razak. But Macron carefully chose some other words that hinted at his anxiety about the agreement's long-term prospects. "Does it solve everything? No. Are there risks, yes." he told reporters. Memorandum misgivings Few are claiming that the agreement will solve everything. The nuances of treaty versus memorandum, statement versus non-paper, conclusions versus communique — these debates are usually reserved for diplomats themselves and the political nerds like me who follow their work.
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