Exclusion zone for USA-Iran talks triggers air traffic control breakdown in Zurich
After a technical fault at the Swiss air traffic control company Skyguide on Sunday morning, operations are continuing Airport Zurich is largely back to normal. The disruption was triggered by an exclusion zone that was set up at short notice over the Swiss conference venue Bürgenstock for peace talks between the USA and Iran. Because of the breakdown there were cancellations and delays at the airport. By midday, twelve arrivals and 14 departures had been canceled, an airport spokeswoman said in response to a request from the Reuters news agency. In addition, at least 60 departures were delayed, mostly by 40 minutes to two hours. Further effects over the course of the day cannot yet be conclusively assessed.
Iran: Negotiations with USA limited to one day
According to information from Tehran, the negotiations between Iran and the USA in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, will only last one day. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai said on state television IRIB that there were no plans to continue the talks beyond today’s date. First there will be bilateral meetings with the Pakistani and Qatari mediator delegations, followed in the afternoon by the round with the US delegation.
In addition to the political discussions, working sessions at expert level are also planned. These should revolve around, among other things, the release of blocked Iranian bank accounts and possible sanctions relief. The Iranian central bank governor Nasser Hemmati traveled to Switzerland especially for this purpose.
Iranian agency report: Strait of Hormuz remains closed for now
Shortly before the start of US-Iranian talks in Switzerland, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to shipping, according to reports from Iran. The Revolutionary Guards Navy has not yet issued any passage permits for the strait, reports the Fars news agency, citing an insider. The US and Iran agreed to a 60-day ceasefire to negotiate a peace deal. However, in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards declared the strait closed on Saturday. The US military, however, announced that merchant ships were still traveling in the waterway.
Report: Seven dead in new Israeli attacks in Lebanon
According to official information there, at least seven people were killed in renewed Israeli air strikes in Lebanon. Five people were killed in an attack in the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country, including a child, a woman and two elderly people, the state agency NNA reported this morning. Two Palestinians also died near the southern coastal city of Tyre. Israel’s army did not initially comment on the reports.
