ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran on Tuesday said that technical talks with the US in Switzerland have concluded and four negotiating groups, including on sanctions and nuclear issues, will be formed, state media reported. 

“Four working groups would be established: sanctions termination, nuclear affairs, reconstruction and development, and monitoring and implementation,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, as cited by the state-owned IRNA news agency. 

Gharibabadi explained that the technical discussions were held to ensure the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the US that seeks an end to the Middle East war. 

“It was also decided to form a contact point for the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and a conflict prevention unit in Lebanon, between member states Pakistan and Qatar,” he added. 

On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry said that it held “very brief” discussions with the US on the nuclear issue during the high-level Switzerland talks, describing the exchange as “simply an expression of positions.” 

Talks between the US and Iran in Switzerland’s mountainside Burgenstock resort, named the Lake Lucerne Summit, concluded early on Monday. The negotiations are aimed at reaching a permanent end to the Iran war. 

Pakistan and Qatar, the mediators, issued a joint statement earlier on Monday, announcing that a “High Level Committee” was formed to oversee the discussions between the US and Iran and that the talks were carried out in a “positive and constructive atmosphere.”

The US Treasury Department on Monday announced that a “temporary” 60-day license has been granted by Washington to authorize “the production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil,” as part of the framework reached in negotiations with Iran in Switzerland. 

On Sunday, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed once more over Washington's failure to implement point one of the MoU, which insists upon a total ceasefire that includes Lebanon.

However, US Central Command (CENTCOM) later insisted that the strait remained open for passage, with the conflicting accounts stressing the tenuous nature of the peace process as Washington struggles to rein in its Israeli ally amid heavy domestic pressure to secure a lasting accord.