U.S.-Iran Talks in Switzerland Postponed as Israel Strikes Lebanon

Talks between the United States and Iran that were meant to open a 60-day negotiating period were postponed on Friday, days after the two governments announced an interim agreement, after Israeli strikes in Lebanon threatened to unravel the deal. The Swiss Foreign Ministry said the meeting at the Bürgenstock resort would not go ahead as planned, according to Reuters, which reported that Switzerland “remains ready to facilitate these talks” and that preparatory work at the venue was continuing.

The setback began Thursday evening, when the White House said Vice President JD Vance, whom President Donald Trump tapped to lead the negotiations, would stay in Washington. Al Jazeera, citing AFP and the Associated Press, reported that staff and a small group of journalists had already gathered at Joint Base Andrews for the overnight flight. A White House statement said the delegation was ready but plans could not be finalized, noting that “the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable.” Reuters reported that Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency had said its negotiators needed to see signs of the United States implementing the interim deal first, and there was no confirmation that Iran’s delegation would travel.

Lebanon was the flashpoint. The 14-point memorandum of understanding calls for an end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, NBC News reported. Israel, which is not a party to the agreement, kept up attacks on Hezbollah; Al Jazeera, citing reports from the area, said attacks reportedly killed at least 18 people in southern Lebanon overnight and into Friday. NBC reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his officials have said Israel is not bound by the memorandum, and that a source said U.S. spy agencies believe Israel will likely continue attacks on Hezbollah. On Thursday, Vance said that “if I were in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Al Jazeera reported.

By Friday afternoon, Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire. Trump told NBC News the development was “a little icing on the cake.” Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said his country was “firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire,” and an official Hezbollah source said the group would abide by it, NBC reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the need to disarm Hezbollah in a call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and they discussed Israel-Lebanon talks planned in Washington from Tuesday through Thursday, NBC reported.

Iran kept the door open. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the Friday meeting was no longer urgent because the agreement was already signed and that another meeting was planned in the coming days, NBC reported. Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said any talks would remain bound by Tehran’s “red lines,” according to the state news agency IRNA as reported by Al Jazeera. Iran also said it would waive planned fees for ships using the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day period.

The agreement remains politically contested. Trump told Axios the deal amounted to “unconditional surrender” by Tehran, CNBC reported, while Netanyahu and his government have criticized it, NBC noted. Vance insisted on Thursday that “the United States isn’t giving up a cent of money to Iran.” Crude prices have steadied after steep declines amid signs that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is beginning to recover, CNBC reported; U.S. markets were closed for trading Friday.