Switzerland has confirmed that talks between the United States and Iran on a pact aimed at ending the Middle East conflict will not take place on Friday after US Vice President JD Vance cancelled plans to travel to Geneva.
The negotiations were scheduled under the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” signed between the US and Iran a day earlier, following an agreement by both sides on a 14-point accord on Monday. The framework includes steps to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and hold negotiations on key issues within 60 days.
The talks, which were planned at the mountain resort of Burgenstock, have been postponed, according to Switzerland’s foreign ministry. However, no reason was provided for the delay.
“The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed,” the Swiss foreign ministry said in a message to AFP.
Switzerland said it remains willing to facilitate the discussions, adding that preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing, but no new date for the talks was announced.
In Washington, a White House spokesperson said the arrangements for the negotiations had always been complicated and unpredictable, adding that Vance would not be departing as planned.
“However, we look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible,” the official said.
Iran has not immediately responded to the postponement. Earlier, Tehran had said it was ready to begin technical discussions after Thursday’s 14-point agreement extended a fragile ceasefire by at least 60 days.
Iranian negotiators had first sought evidence that the US was implementing the interim agreement. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported before Vance’s announcement that there had been no confirmation about whether Iran’s delegation would travel to Geneva.
Vance and the US delegation had been prepared to leave once final arrangements were completed.
On Thursday, the US vice president had indicated that the plans were not final, saying technical negotiations were expected to begin sometime during the weekend but could still change.
According to Switzerland’s foreign ministry, the US and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar and other involved parties, were expected to meet at Burgenstock for initial talks on implementing the agreement.
An official signing ceremony for the Islamabad MoU had also previously been planned, with Geneva selected as the venue.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who signed the memorandum as mediator, had earlier said the ceremony would be held in Geneva and hosted by Pakistan.
However, the prime minister’s visit to Geneva was cancelled on Thursday, with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar saying the signing had already been completed remotely.
US officials had also indicated that a formal signing ceremony would be held in Switzerland, but Iran’s foreign ministry questioned the need for such an event after both countries’ presidents had already signed the agreement.
The conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran, has killed at least 7,000 people, increased energy prices, and unsettled global markets.
Throughout the conflict, Pakistan has played an active role in diplomatic efforts. It helped broker a ceasefire between the US and Iran on April 8 and hosted historic direct talks between the two countries in Islamabad earlier this year.
Israel Continues Lebanon Strikes
Israel, which was not part of the peace talks, has distanced itself from the US-Iran agreement and continued strikes on Lebanon, claiming the attacks are aimed at Hezbollah. The ongoing operations have raised concerns over whether the agreement can be sustained.
Fresh Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Friday killed at least 15 people, according to the state news agency NNA. More than one million people have been displaced due to the fighting.
The attacks have raised questions over how far US President Donald Trump will go in pressuring a key ally to stop the offensive, despite previously pledging to end the conflict.
The agreement calls for a “permanent termination” of the war in Lebanon, but Israel has said it does not intend to withdraw and has instead outlined an expanded occupation zone through a new map.
Trump has become increasingly critical of Israel’s actions in Lebanon, creating one of the biggest disagreements between the two allies in decades.
On Friday, Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Tehran would give a “decisive” response if the agreement was violated.
Future of Negotiations
In Washington, some Republican allies of US President Donald Trump in Congress questioned whether he had made excessive concessions to end a conflict that remains unpopular among many Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump had previously vowed to end the war only through Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.
However, the memorandum instead provides Iran relief from economic sanctions, unfreezes assets worth tens of billions of dollars, and grants immediate US waivers for oil exports.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Trump agreed to the deal “out of desperation” and suggested that future talks over Iran’s nuclear programme would remain difficult.
“If the American side wants to be too demanding, we will not accept it,” he said in a message.
The agreement gives negotiators 60 days to determine the future status of Iran’s nuclear programme, unless an extension is agreed. It also establishes a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and includes other financial incentives.
Vance said the US would also seek restrictions on Iran’s long-range missile programme.
The financial impact of the war has also come under scrutiny, with the US defence department telling lawmakers it required $80 billion to cover war-related costs and some unrelated expenses, according to the Wall Street Journal.
When the US and Israel launched the war nearly four months ago, Trump said the objective was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has repeatedly denied pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its programme is intended only for peaceful civilian purposes.
Trump had also sought to limit Iran’s ability to strike neighbouring countries and stop its support for anti-Israel groups in the region, while at times calling for regime change in Tehran.
However, none of those goals had been achieved when Trump signed the agreement, under which Iran reaffirmed its long-standing position against developing nuclear weapons.
The agreement also includes the onsite “down blending” of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), while rejecting Trump’s demand to remove the material from the country.
US officials said negotiations could still produce a stronger agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, potentially improving on the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the US and other countries that Trump withdrew from during his first term.
Critics, however, argue that Iran is now in a stronger position after surviving a major military attack, maintaining influence over the Strait of Hormuz, and securing sanctions relief.
Iran has said it will continue managing control of the Strait of Hormuz in cooperation with Oman, its neighbour across the waterway. Tehran also plans to charge ships service fees that did not exist before the war, though not during the 60-day negotiation period.
Oil prices fell on Friday as hopes increased for additional supplies after tankers began moving through the reopened Strait of Hormuz, a route that previously carried nearly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.