The Geneva Breakthrough: Inside Secret Backchannel Talks Setting Up Historic US-Iran Accord | Exclusive

Last Updated:June 12, 2026, 23:29 IST

According to senior Pakistani officials, the landmark framework is expected to be officially designated as either the Islamabad Accord or the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding

A monumental diplomatic breakthrough appears imminent in Europe, as top diplomatic sources in Islamabad and Tehran have revealed to CNN-News18 that a historic peace agreement between the United States and Iran is highly likely to be signed in Geneva this coming Sunday. The proposed deal marks the culmination of months of intensive, high-stakes backchannel diplomacy aimed at de-escalating long-standing frictions and securing a comprehensive framework for stability in West Asia. While Washington and Tehran remain the central pillars of the negotiation, the sweeping regional scope of the draft memorandum means that Israel and Lebanon are also expected to be featured as critical primary signatories to ensure a lasting cessation of hostilities across all volatile fronts.

Reflecting the immense geopolitical stakes of this truce, a powerful contingent of regional heavyweights, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Bahrain, and Oman, will gather in Switzerland to witness the formal signing. Pakistan, which has played a pivotal and widely acknowledged role as a neutral mediator throughout the crisis, is moving rapidly to finalise its executive logistics. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are scheduled to fly out of Islamabad for Geneva on Saturday morning to steer the final phases of the accord.

According to senior Pakistani officials, the landmark framework is expected to be officially designated as either the Islamabad Accord or the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a direct nod to the exhaustive diplomatic capital expended by Pakistan’s civil and military leadership to bridge the chasm between the two warring powers. Top sources in Tehran have indicated that the signing ceremony will likely be witnessed directly by United States Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, both of whom have spearheaded critical facets of the recent high-level channels.

The impending treaty is expected to establish an immediate ceasefire framework, formalise a coordinated cooling-off period, and outline terms for targeted economic and strategic adjustments in exchange for verifiable maritime and security guarantees. While the final text is being rapidly internalised by the highest echelons of leadership, officials at the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad are working through the night to ensure all diplomatic protocols and transport logistics are perfectly aligned ahead of the historic Saturday morning departure to Switzerland.

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Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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