US-Iran talks postponed as Lebanon strikes test ceasefire deal

A planned round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland was postponed after Vice President JD Vance abruptly delayed his trip, stalling efforts to turn a new ceasefire agreement into concrete steps as Israeli strikes continued in southern Lebanon.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that the talks, scheduled for the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne, would not go ahead as planned. The meetings were expected to bring together representatives from the United States, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan for technical discussions on the agreement signed earlier in the week.

“The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed,” the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a message to AFP, according to Al Jazeera. “Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing.”

The White House said late Thursday that Vance would remain in Washington, saying plans had not been finalized. “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the statement said, adding that the United States looked forward to “beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”

Vance had been expected to travel overnight to the Swiss mountain resort, with staff and journalists gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington and additional officials and media already in Switzerland, Al Jazeera reported. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also canceled his planned trip to Switzerland, his spokesperson told AFP.

The postponement came two days after Washington and Tehran digitally signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict. The BBC reported that the United States dropped its naval blockade of Iran a day before the talks were delayed.

The agreement includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon, a $300 billion plan for Iran’s “reconstruction,” and the termination by the United States of “all types of sanctions” on Iran. It also commits both sides to seek a final deal within a maximum of 60 days, with an extension possible by mutual consent.

The next phase of talks had been expected to focus on implementation of the agreement and longer-term issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the deal despite having a “different view,” and claimed President Donald Trump had “out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage” to secure it. Khamenei said future “in-person negotiations” between Tehran and Washington would “not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position.”

The delay unfolded as fighting continued in Lebanon, where Iran has insisted any ceasefire must apply. Israel has rejected that position, saying its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from its war on Iran. Hezbollah has also rejected the terms of the US-Iran agreement.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he expected a ceasefire to take effect “on all fronts,” including between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The agreement’s text also calls for a permanent end to the conflict and for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty to be ensured.

Lebanon’s state news agency described overnight bombardment in the southern Nabatieh district as among the most intense of the war, the BBC reported. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli strikes killed at least 18 people and injured 33 in the south overnight. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli attacks overnight and into Friday killed at least 16 people.

The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted infrastructure and individuals linked to Hezbollah and said four Israeli soldiers were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel’s military would remain in a “security zone” in southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”