US and Iran wrap second day of talks after rough start

Senior negotiators from the US and Iran on Monday wrapped up a lengthy round of initial talks aimed at solidifying a permanent end to the war between the countries.The mediation effort in Switzerland started Sunday and had rocky moments.But it also led to some agreements between the two sides.Mediators Qatar and Pakistan hailed what they called “encouraging progress” made during the talks as Iran and the United States agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” to address the fighting in Lebanon. A senior US diplomat claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to ensure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy shipments, remains open and that a cease-fire in southern Lebanon holds.Yet the talks between the US and Iran, who were accompanied by Qatari and Pakistani officials, was jolted by blistering statements from US President Donald Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss negotiating venue at a mountainside resort near Lake Lucerne was firing off comments that offended the Iranians.Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the US President.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said.

The senior US diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief journalists on the ongoing talks, said late Sunday that the Iranians remained on site and the negotiations were on.Iranian state television reported Monday that the Iranian delegation had left the summit site to head to the airport in Zurich to fly back to Tehran.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had vowed to “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” according to state media, and Trump later told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should watch what he says and also threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the news channel’s correspondents.Trump also continued to issue warnings against ...