Iran war mediators set to meet in Egypt Sunday, as talks in Switzerland still on hold

Mediators in the US-Iran conflict, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, are due to gather for talks in Egypt on Sunday, after a meeting between negotiators slated for Friday in Switzerland was called off, raising uncertainty over the future of talks, as the 60-day clock on hammering out details of a deal was already ticking.

Meanwhile, Iran appeared Friday to continue placing restrictions on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz despite the memorandum of understanding signed this week.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump lashed out once again in the midst of the intensified fighting in Lebanon — which reportedly caused Iran to balk at the stalled nuclear talks. Israel and Hezbollah agreed Friday to a renewed ceasefire, but the future of the talks remained unclear.

“We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did,” Trump wrote in a social media post Friday. “They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Friday that the four-way meeting in Cairo would bring together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt to “discuss regional developments and exchange views on issues related to peace, security and stability.”

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Egypt’s foreign ministry said late Thursday that the meeting would be followed by expanded talks and a joint news conference. The ministry initially said the meeting would be held in the Egyptian resort of El Alamein, before updating the location to Cairo.

The four foreign ministers last met in April on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

The Cairo meeting comes after US-Iran talks scheduled in Switzerland for Friday, aimed at following up on the agreement to end the war, were postponed, according to the Swiss foreign ministry. The White House confirmed that US Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Switzerland for the talks had been canceled.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that arrangements were underway to set a new date for talks in the coming days. The ministry said the meeting in Switzerland was no longer urgent because a memorandum of understanding on ending the war had already been signed digitally between the two sides.

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Friday that talks with the United States would remain bound by Tehran’s “red lines.”

“As we have shown in the past path of negotiations, we are steadfast in fulfilling the conditions and red lines set, and in achieving the interests of the Iranian nation,” Ghalibaf said in remarks published by the official IRNA news agency. “If the enemy seeks to be excessive, we have proven that our fingers are on the trigger and we have no hesitation in giving a crushing response to the enemy.”

The deal, signed this week by Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, aims to end a conflict that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. It also provides for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the launch of a 60-day negotiation period on broader issues, including Tehran’s nuclear program.

But the Iranian body governing the Strait of Hormuz said it was still setting conditions for transit through the key waterway. The body said it would waive planned fees for those using the strait during the 60-day negotiation period, but that ships must submit transit requests at least 48 hours before arrival.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said in a notice that it will waive fees for security, safety, environmental services and related insurance during the period, while requiring vessels to coordinate routes and transit times in advance due to areas affected by mines and to ensure safe navigation.

British maritime security firm Ambrey said Iranian forces ordered a Hong Kong-flagged tanker and a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged bulk carrier to turn back on Thursday.

In an undated advisory circulated to the maritime industry in the last 24 hours and seen by Reuters, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said “no vessel is permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without a valid passage permit issued by the PGSA.”

The PGSA, which describes itself as the sole body authorized to issue permits, also said it reserves the right to introduce insurance fees, requiring shipowners to obtain and renew coverage.

There were 25 commercial crossings through Hormuz on June 18 – the highest single-day count since April 18 and more than five times the average daily level of the first 10 days of June, AXS Marine data showed. Traffic remains well below the pre-conflict level of about 120 daily crossings.