U.S., Iran to hold technical talks on Sunday in Switzerland: Pakistani foreign ministry

Technical-level talks between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Representatives from both countries, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, will participate in the discussions, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

Pakistan will continue to facilitate the process in its role as mediator, with a view to advancing the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU, it said.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in a media interview on Saturday that talks with Iran could begin as early as Sunday, and negotiations are going smoothly.

The vice president said that he may travel to Switzerland in the coming days.

Vance also said there is no evidence that Iran is closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian sources said on Saturday that Iran's negotiating team is heading to Switzerland to discuss the MoU with U.S. negotiators.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that the negotiating team includes Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Bagheri Kani, as well as the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and the deputy minister of oil.

Baghaei said that the first article of the MoU, namely "ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon," is the core pillar of the mutual commitments made by both sides.

While Iran is fulfilling its own commitments, he said, the U.S. side, which should have forced Israel to cease its military operations in Lebanon, has failed to fulfill this responsibility, constituting a clear violation of the agreement.

Baghaei said that although some measures have been taken regarding lifting the maritime blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the MoU is essentially a "comprehensive agreement."

A violation of the first article puts the entire agreement in doubt, and if the U.S. does not take necessary measures immediately, the entire MoU will face serious problems, he said.

Baghaei stressed that the sustainability of this agreement depends on the behavior of the U.S., noting that the logic of Iranian foreign policy is very clear -- commitment for commitment and action for action,

He warned that if the U.S. refuses to fulfill its commitments or undermines their implementation, Iran will take reciprocal, severe, and deterrent countermeasures with its strategic capabilities.

The Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Switzerland will continue to provide a "discreet and reliable setting" to facilitate the U.S.-Iran talks at Burgenstock, adding that "diplomats from various countries currently present are continuing their efforts to maintain the dialogue."

U.S., Iran to hold technical talks on Sunday in Switzerland: Pakistani foreign ministry

Nearly three years after a massive Israeli air strike flattened a neighborhood in Gaza City, families gathered on Tuesday to memorialize 112 perished civilians, including children, in what is believed to be the largest mass funeral held in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began.

The solemn ceremony brought together mourners to bid a final farewell to the Palestinian children, women, and elderly individuals whose remains were only recently extracted from beneath pulverized concrete. Coffins wrapped in Palestinian flags and topped with photos of the deceased were arranged in long rows on the ground, serving as a poignant backdrop to the day's grief.

"This funeral is finally taking place after more than a thousand days of suffering, while our children and women remained beneath the rubble. Day after day, we looked on with tears and broken hearts, appealing to every organization to help recover them," said Jadou Abu Sharia, head of the Abu Sharia family.

The victims had been among the more than 300 people killed on Nov 22, 2023, when Israeli warplanes demolished the area of Sabra -- a residential block in Gaza City.

"These were civilians, not armed fighters or soldiers. Among them were 40 children, 37 women and 10 elderly men. These 112 victims are only part of the 308 people we have lost. We have found no trace of the others. Their blood and bones have become mixed with the concrete rubble," said Tayseer Abu Sharia, a relative of several victims.

Their bodies could not be recovered until now because of Israel's continuing strikes, which have slowed, though not halted, since the ceasefire in October.

Finally recovering the remains meant digging through smoldering rubble with bare hands and basic tools, as well as help from the International Red Cross Committee.

"Civil Defense crews worked for 17 days before recovering the 112 bodies out of a total of 153 believed to have been trapped beneath the rubble," said Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza.

It is believed that dozens more bodies are yet to be recovered at the site.

Mass funeral held for 112 Gaza civilians buried in rubble for three years