Iran and the United States agreed Monday to set up communications lines to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the war in the Middle East.The teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened talks Sunday, as part of a two-month negotiating period set out under a preliminary deal agreed last week.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the negotiators reached agreement on a “roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” with technical talks to continue for the rest of the week at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock.“Encouraging progress has been made including the creation of a mechanism for further technical talks,” they said, detailing a contact channel set up to “avoid incidents and miscommunication” at the Strait of Hormuz.A “de-confliction cell,” between the parties and the Lebanese authorities has also been agreed to prevent fighting from erupting again, they said.Tehran had effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation against the joint attacks by Israel and the United States on February 28 that touched off the war in the Middle East.Lebanon was pitched into the conflict as Iran-allied Hezbollah attacked Israel over the war on Tehran, prompting the Israelis’ bombardment of their neighboring country.After a series of false starts, Washington and Tehran finally signed last week a memorandum of understanding towards ending the conflict that included a provision to end fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.But there have been repeated clashes in Lebanon since, which prompted Iran to say it would again shutter Hormuz through which oil and gas shipments transit, having opened it as part of the deal.“Tireless Pakistani and Qatari mediation has delivered major progress to end Lebanon War,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X after the high-level talks in Switzerland.“Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran. 1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell,” he wrote.There was no immediate reaction from US negotiators, but crude prices slipped while stocks mostly gained in Asia as the progress reported by mediators fueled optimism.The development came after a shaky start to the negotiations, with the Islamic Republic’s delegation walking out in response to US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike Iran over its support for Hezbollah Sunday.