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Khushboo Razdan

Plans for US Vice-President J.D. Vance to travel to Switzerland for a new round of talks with Iran have been delayed, according to the White House.
In a statement on Thursday, the White House said the arrangements for the “technical talks” had not yet been finalised and that the US delegation remained prepared to depart at the first available opportunity. “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, a report by the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen outlet claimed that Tehran had suspended its delegation’s trip because of continued Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.
Switzerland also announced that the planned US-Iran talks scheduled for Friday would not take place.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said the negotiations had been “postponed” but the “relevant preparatory work” was continuing.
“Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks,” the department told the South China Morning Post.
The meeting was set for the Burgenstock resort, a Swiss Alpine venue chosen as neutral ground to discuss implementation of the recently agreed framework outlining a 60-day negotiation process aimed at moving towards a broader settlement between the two sides.


According to earlier arrangements, the talks were meant to bring together delegations from the US and Iran, with Switzerland acting as a facilitator and mediators such as Pakistan and Qatar helping to organise the process.
During an earlier media briefing, Vance described future face-to-face negotiations as “obvious”, but added it did not mean “accepting the enemy’s opinion”. He said he did not know when he would be travelling for the negotiations.
However, with Israel opposing the agreement, Vance said the “personal” attacks by politicians in Tel Aviv against US President Donald Trump and the deal “bothered” him, claiming that Trump was the only head of state who was “sympathetic to the nation of Israel”.
Earlier in the week, the “America first” leader said there would be no Israel without him.
On Wednesday, Trump signed a hard copy of a framework to end the war between the United States, Israel and Iran on “all fronts” and reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
The 14-point Memorandum of Understanding, which was also signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, proposed a timeline for broader negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, ballistic missiles and regional proxies, as well as schedules to lift sanctions on Tehran.
The talks in Switzerland were expected to work through the details and translate the framework into concrete action, including steps to fully reopen the vital trade corridor whose blockade has unsettled global energy markets.
After the deal was signed, oil prices hit their lowest levels since the US-Israel strikes on Iran began in late February.
On Thursday, Brent crude closed at US$79.85 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate dropped to US$76.60 per barrel.


According to media reports, more than 100 million barrels of crude and refined products are awaiting departure from the Gulf. Regional producers are also preparing to restart shut-in output, but full recovery is expected to take weeks to months.
On Wednesday, Trump said that the text of the deal was not yet final and warned that the US would resume bombing Iran if he was dissatisfied with the final version.
The framework opens the door to a US$300 billion fund for Iran’s reconstruction, funded by regional partners rather than the US. Trump has said the US will not contribute “10 cents”.
Trump has drawn criticism from within his own Republican Party and not just Democrats. US Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, blasted the framework as a “foreign policy blunder”.
“The details that I’ve seen so far look … awful. This will go down as a tremendous foreign policy blunder,” Cassidy told a local news outlet.
Meanwhile, Democratic congressmen Gregory Meeks, Jim Himes and Adam Smith have demanded a briefing from the administration on the full text of the MOU.
Tensions between the US and Iran escalated earlier this year following the collapse of nuclear talks. On February 28, the US and Israel launched coordinated air strikes across Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military commanders.
Iran retaliated with missile attacks against Israel, US bases in Iraq and the Gulf, and regional energy hubs. A de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz ensued.
A US naval blockade of Iranian ports began in April, sharply curtailing Iranian oil exports, while concurrent Iranian military actions effectively disrupted wider traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. About 20 per cent of the global oil trade travels through the waterway.
The developments drove up global energy prices and heightened fears of a wider war.
Several short-lived ceasefires, mainly mediated by Pakistan, collapsed before this month’s peace deal was announced.


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Announcement follows reports Tehran has suspended its delegation’s departure because of attacks on southern Lebanon


Announcement follows reports Tehran has suspended its delegation’s departure because of attacks on southern Lebanon.


US-Iran talks in Switzerland delayed, White House says Vance remains ready to go

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Announcement follows reports Tehran has suspended its delegation’s departure because of attacks on southern Lebanon

Announcement follows reports Tehran has suspended its delegation’s departure because of attacks on southern Lebanon