PM Shehbaz cancels Switzerland visit after signing Iran-US accord

The prime minister was scheduled to depart for Switzerland on Thursday.

PM Shehbaz
PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has canceled his planned visit to Switzerland after signing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at facilitating the Iran-US agreement, diplomatic sources said.

According to sources, the prime minister was scheduled to depart for Switzerland on Thursday, where preliminary talks under the Iran-US agreement were set to begin Friday at the Bürgenstock Resort.

Diplomatic sources said the visit was called off because the Islamabad MoU had already been signed. Prime Minister Shehbaz, acting as a mediator, signed the memorandum earlier in the day, while US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also signed the agreement.

Sources said technical-level negotiations would be held separately to address various issues that form part of the broader MoU framework.

Shehbaz Sharif had been expected to travel to Switzerland with a delegation, but the trip was canceled following the signing of the agreement.

More read, US, Iran sign landmark accord to reopen Strait of Hormuz, lift naval blockade

Earlier, Pakistan’s prime minister announced that the United States and Iran have electronically signed a landmark memorandum of understanding that will immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift a U.S. naval blockade, potentially defusing a conflict that has rattled global energy markets.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” was signed by the presidents of both countries and endorsed by him as mediator. The agreement, posted on Sharif’s X account, takes effect immediately.

“The signing of this agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrates the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” Sharif wrote.