The Midnight Convoy
At 3:17 AM, seven Swiss diplomats crossed into Azerbaijan on foot—the only escape route from an Iran under bombardment. Their abandoned embassy in Tehran still holds thousands of US-Iranian case files. Meanwhile, 250 meters from Israel's Swiss ambassador's bunker, a crater smolders where an Iranian missile struck.
"We work from the shelter now," says Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis matter-of-factly. The same secure lines relaying evacuation coordinates also carry urgent messages between Washington and Tehran—a Swiss tradition since 1980. But this time, the diplomacy feels more fragile.
The Deal on the Edge
While managing the crisis, Cassis finalized what he calls "the maximal possible" EU agreement package—1800 pages negotiated through 18 years of false starts. Key victories:
- A Brexit-denied emergency brake on EU migration
- Strict limits on dynamic legal adoption (only 5 of 120 treaties affected)
- No automatic penalties for rejecting EU laws
Yet critics see sovereignty slipping away. "Every contract costs freedom," Cassis counters, comparing it to buying a car. The alternative? "Research blackouts. Trade barriers. Energy insecurity."
The Neutrality Paradox
Swiss mediators now operate the US-Iran hotline remotely—proving neutrality's value even as the EU deal challenges its foundations. Cassis insists the arrangement strengthens Switzerland's hand: "We're not kneeling to Brussels. We're negotiating as equals."
But with diplomats dodging missiles and voters weighing Europe's toughest referendum, one question lingers: Can the world's oldest neutral power keep its balance when the ground keeps shaking?