Tense Moment In Switzerland: Iran Refuses To Participate In Photo-Op With US Negotiators | Video

A tense moment unfolded in Switzerland during high-level talks between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war in West Asia, where the Iranian delegation refused to participate in a planned handshake and a photo-op with the US delegation.

A video by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency showed the Iranian delegation, led by Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, walking out of the packed room ahead of a planned handshake and photo-op session with US negotiators.

The Iranian delegation refused to take part in a planned handshake and joint photo-op with the U.S. delegation.

Source: Tasnim pic.twitter.com/Cgpz5LkGTO

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US officials and meeting organisers

had arranged for a handshake and photo between the two sides at the start of the multilateral talks in Burgenstock. However, Ghalibaf opposed the plan, according to Tasnim.

The Iranian team had rejected repeated US and organiser requests for the ceremonial gesture, informing them they would not appear alongside American officials in any media event, according to reports. US Vice President JD Vance and other members of the American team participated in the photo-op session with Pakistani and Qatari mediators.

The Iranians entered the venue only after the media event concluded. The US delegation requested a five-minute delay to allow journalists to leave the negotiation room before the talks began.

However, Axios reported, citing a US official, that Iranian representatives had originally agreed to a joint photo opportunity and press statements at the start of the meeting. However, they left the meeting after seeing the number of journalists present and then circulated an inaccurate account of the situation through their state media outlets, the official said.

After the talks concluded, Vance said the US was willing to “fundamentally transform” its relations with Iran if the latter is willing to “give up being a driver of regional instability” and give up nuclear weapon ambitions for the long term.

“We’ve already made great progress over just the last few hours, and I expect that we will make additional progress in the hours to come,” he added. He also said the two countries now see a future where “everyone can work together to promote peace and prosperity.”