ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif and Syed Asim Munir arrived in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday to participate in high-level talks aimed at advancing the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister is leading a high-level Pakistani delegation at the June 21 talks, which are being held as a follow-up to the agreement signed by Tehran and Washington.

In a separate statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said senior delegations from Iran, Qatar and the United States would also participate in what it described as the first formal engagement since the Islamabad MoU was signed on June 17.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan would continue supporting the understandings reached between Tehran and Washington, adding that its facilitative role reflected a principled, balanced and constructive diplomatic approach throughout the crisis.

It noted that Islamabad had hosted earlier rounds of US-Iran negotiations and maintained sustained diplomatic engagement that helped pave the way for the memorandum.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to hold bilateral meetings with delegations from Iran, Qatar, Switzerland and the United States to reaffirm Pakistan’s support for dialogue, diplomacy and lasting regional peace.

The Switzerland talks come days after Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which includes provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The agreement was later endorsed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his capacity as mediator, formally completing the signing process.

Meanwhile, JD Vance travelled to Switzerland to participate in the negotiations, expressing optimism about progress on both Iran’s nuclear programme and efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.

He said the situation in the region was improving despite recent tensions and stressed the importance of continued diplomatic engagement to ensure long-term stability.

Separately, Iran’s delegation, known as “Minab 168” and headed by Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, arrived in Zurich ahead of the negotiations.

The follow-up talks had originally been scheduled for Friday but were postponed after renewed Israeli strikes in Lebanon prompted fresh regional tensions and briefly complicated efforts to sustain momentum in the US-Iran peace process.