TURKEY PERSPECTIVE

Ankara, June 23, 2026. Turkish media closely tracked the conclusion of the first phase of US-Iran talks at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, describing a promising diplomatic dynamic shadowed by unresolved tensions. For Anadolu Agency and Daily Sabah, the strongest signal from the Lucerne summit remained the joint declaration by Pakistan and Qatar, the official mediators, reporting 'encouraging progress' including the establishment of an additional technical dialogue mechanism.

US Vice President JD Vance, heading negotiations from Washington's side, summarized the prevailing mood using an architectural metaphor: 'We have laid solid foundations for a successful final agreement. The final house is not yet built, but the foundations are in place.' Vance stressed that the Strait of Hormuz is now 'open,' with millions of barrels of crude and liquefied natural gas resuming circulation, which contributed to oil prices falling below $80 per barrel (Brent, 6:15 GMT).

However, news site Bianet, covering proceedings from Bürgenstock, highlighted persistent friction points. Tehran reactivated its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz late last week, citing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, before lifting it following fresh negotiations. Lebanon remains the most seismic fault line in the diplomatic edifice: a 'deconfliction cell' must be jointly established with the Lebanese government to monitor ceasefire compliance with Hezbollah, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi specified that this mechanism would constitute 'the first real test' of the agreements.

The nuclear question introduces another tension source. Trump asserted on Truth Social that Iran had accepted 'major inspections' of its weapons programs to guarantee 'nuclear honesty.' Vance added that Tehran had consented to IAEA inspectors' return. Yet Iran's semi-official Fars agency formally denied these claims, stating that the question of IAEA inspectors' return was simply not addressed during Switzerland meetings.

Turkish press also relayed a poll from Hebrew University of Jerusalem (3,644 respondents, June 17-20) revealing that 92.1 percent of Israelis believe Iran emerged victorious from the conflict, and 82.9 percent judge Israel's long-term security weakened. This figure illustrates the growing political fracture around Netanyahu, whose approval rating fell from 40.5 percent in early March to 29.4 percent in June according to this same poll.

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, electronically signed June 18 by Pezeshkian and Trump, provides the legal framework for these negotiations. It outlines a roadmap toward a final agreement in 60 days, a direct communication line to prevent incidents in the strait, and a lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Lower-level technical talks were to continue in Bürgenstock throughout the week.