Switzerland postpones US-Iran peace talks after JD Vance cancels Geneva trip, clouding 60-day truce

Talks called off

Switzerland's foreign ministry confirmed Friday morning that negotiations between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort near Lucerne would not take place as planned. The announcement followed a late-Thursday White House statement that Vice President JD Vance's delegation was not departing, with a spokesperson saying logistics had never been "simple or predictable."

“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable.”

Switzerland said it remained ready to facilitate the talks and that preparatory work at Burgenstock was continuing. No new date was given.

A deal already signed

The postponement comes two days after President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian separately signed a 14-point framework accord that extended a fragile ceasefire by at least 60 days. The deal, brokered with help from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, includes a gradual lifting of US sanctions, the unfreezing of tens of billions of dollars in Iranian assets, immediate waivers for Iranian oil exports, and a commitment that Iran will never develop a nuclear weapon.

“It's a very strong deal, nobody knows what it is, but it's very strong.”

CENTCOM confirmed Thursday that, under the accord, the US naval blockade of Iranian ports had been lifted. In return, the deal requires free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran's Tehran Times reported that Tehran wants ships to submit transit requests and, after 60 days, pay fees, a demand the US has called unacceptable.

Iran's response

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed the role after his father Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on February 28, said in a written statement that he had approved the accord despite holding a "different view." He described Trump as having signed the deal "out of desperation" and said future face-to-face negotiations would not mean "accepting the enemy's point of view."

“Face-to-face negotiations will be held in the future, but that does not mean accepting the enemy's point of view.”

Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned of a "decisive" response if the agreement was breached. The semi-official Tasnim agency had earlier said nothing was confirmed about Iran's delegation travelling to Switzerland.

Israel keeps fighting

Israel is not a party to the deal and has distanced itself from it. Overnight Thursday into Friday, the Israeli military launched strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, accusing the group of violating the ceasefire. Hezbollah said it fired rockets at Israeli tanks. Lebanese authorities reported at least 18 people killed near Nabatieh. The Israeli military said four of its soldiers died when a tank was struck.

Vance issued a sharp rebuke to Israeli critics, calling Trump "the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time" and suggesting Israel's government should not attack its only powerful ally. Trump himself has reportedly admonished Israel over its Lebanon campaign.

Domestic pressure in Washington

Some Republican allies in Congress have questioned whether Trump conceded too much to end a conflict unpopular with Americans ahead of November's mid-term elections. Trump had previously vowed Iran's "unconditional surrender" but the memorandum instead provides sanctions relief, asset unfreezing, and oil export waivers. Democrats have also criticised the agreement.

The framework sets a 60-day deadline for a final deal, extendable by mutual consent, with the outcome to be ratified through a binding UN Security Council resolution. Negotiators had been expected to begin technical discussions on implementing the accord and on longer-term issues including Iran's nuclear programme.