Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday met US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the ongoing technical-level talks in Switzerland, which are aimed at advancing efforts to restore stability and peace in West Asia.
Sharif arrived in Switzerland earlier in the day along with Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and a high-level delegation. The discussions are being held at the Bürgenstock resort and form part of the follow-up process to the recently signed Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister's Office said that Sharif met Vance during the negotiations taking place in Switzerland. The statement described the interaction as part of the continuing diplomatic engagement surrounding the implementation of the Islamabad MoU and the broader peace initiative involving Washington and Tehran.
The Prime Minister's Office also shared a video showing Sharif and Munir greeting Vance, US envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner. The meeting comes as international mediators and regional stakeholders gather in Switzerland to support the next phase of the negotiations.
Ahead of the talks, Vance acknowledged Pakistan's role in facilitating communication between the United States and Iran, highlighting Islamabad's contribution to the diplomatic process that led to the current round of discussions.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who arrived in Iran on Saturday on an unannounced visit, is understood to have held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran as part of parallel diplomatic efforts linked to the negotiations.
An Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has already reached Switzerland, while representatives from Qatar are also participating in the discussions. Several senior Swiss officials are present as facilitators, with the talks expected to focus on implementing the framework agreed upon under the recent memorandum.
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The negotiations follow the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last week by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which established a 60-day window for intensive diplomacy aimed at reducing tensions and addressing key regional security concerns.
Although technical discussions were initially scheduled to begin on Friday, they were delayed amid renewed fighting involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. The talks eventually commenced after further diplomatic coordination among the participating parties.
The agreement had earlier paved the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital shipping route through which a significant portion of the world's oil and energy supplies passes. However, Iran later announced a renewed closure of the waterway, citing developments related to the conflict in Lebanon.
While Vance maintained that commercial shipping continued to move through the strait, Trump warned that the United States could consider imposing transit tolls in the waterway if a comprehensive agreement with Iran is not achieved within the stipulated 60-day period.
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