Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, is travelling to Switzerland for what is expected to be the first direct technical round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme, according to US officials cited by Axios. Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to President Donald Trump, is already in Geneva. The mission follows the remote signing on 18 June of a memorandum of understanding between Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that formally ended the military conflict which began on 28 February, lifted the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and restored shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The memorandum sets a 60-day deadline for the two sides to negotiate a final agreement covering Iran’s nuclear activities, sanctions relief, frozen assets and de-escalation guarantees.

The talks were originally scheduled for 19 June but were postponed hours before they were due to begin. Switzerland’s foreign ministry confirmed the cancellation, while the White House attributed the delay to logistical complications and the Iranian foreign ministry said there was “no urgency” after the electronic signature of the memorandum. US Vice President JD Vance, who was to lead the American delegation, cancelled his departure on 18 June; the White House stated he remains ready to travel “at the first opportunity.” From Tehran’s perspective, the resumption of substantive negotiations depends on the implementation of specific clauses in the memorandum and on a durable ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is reportedly planning to join the Swiss talks, but a source told Axios that his travel could still be revised if the Lebanon front remains active.

The memorandum’s 60-day clock places immediate operational demands on both sides. Washington is required to lift its naval blockade, and Tehran must restore unimpeded navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The document also commits the US to providing compensation for war damage and to ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, arrived in Switzerland on Friday to mediate the talks, a role Doha has played alongside Oman in previous rounds. European diplomatic circles view the sequencing as fragile: any renewed escalation between Israel and Hezbollah could again freeze the technical track, while Iran’s insistence on indirect negotiations through intermediaries clashes with Washington’s stated preference for direct dialogue and a comprehensive nuclear accord without sunset clauses.

Iran currently holds roughly 440 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 per cent, a level that can be quickly brought to weapons-grade, according to nuclear non-proliferation analysts. The US position, reiterated by Trump before and after the memorandum, is that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. Previous rounds of indirect talks in Oman, Geneva and Rome in 2025 and early 2026 were repeatedly interrupted by Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and by what Tehran described as US violations of ceasefire arrangements. The core procedural dispute remains unresolved: Washington seeks a new nuclear deal requiring full and permanent renunciation of enrichment for weapons purposes, while Tehran, citing the US withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, will only engage through mediators and demands the complete lifting of all American sanctions. The coming days are expected to clarify whether the Swiss round can begin while the Lebanon ceasefire remains unconsolidated, and whether the two sides can bridge the format gap within the 60-day framework.