Switzerland has announced the postponement of planned talks aimed at advancing the agreement to end the Middle East conflict, just hours after US Vice President JD Vance cancelled his trip to the Alpine nation.
The accord, signed earlier this week, was designed to end the conflict involving Iran, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and launch a 60-day negotiation period focused on broader issues, including Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The agreement was also expected to halt hostilities in Lebanon, but tensions remain high after Israel’s military launched fresh strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Friday.
“The planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed,” the Swiss foreign ministry said.
“Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing,” it added, without announcing a new date.
The postponement followed a White House announcement late Thursday confirming that Vance’s trip had been called off, with officials saying the “logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable.”
“We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
In Iran, the Tasnim news agency reported that “nothing has been confirmed” regarding the Iranian delegation’s travel to Switzerland.
The peace agreement was separately signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said he approved the agreement despite reservations, even as the United States eased its blockade of Iranian ports.
Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei after his death in an airstrike at the start of the war in February, said he held a “different view” on the deal but approved it because of commitments made by Iranian officials.
“But I issued my permission due to the commitment” made by officials including Pezeshkian to “protect the rights of the Iranian nation”.
“Face-to-face negotiations” with the United States will be held in future, but that does not “mean accepting the enemy’s point of view”, he added.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also warned on Friday that Tehran would respond decisively if the agreement is violated.
American forces have since lifted their naval blockade of Iranian ports, allowing shipping activities to gradually resume, though movement through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited.
Iranian authorities said vessels seeking access through the strait must apply through a newly established government body overseeing the waterway.
In line with the agreement, officials said “no fees whatsoever will be collected from applicants for a period of sixty days”.
Despite the ceasefire, fighting continues in Lebanon, with Hezbollah claiming its fighters destroyed three Israeli tanks in the south and that clashes are “ongoing”.
Israel has not confirmed the tank losses but said its forces are targeting Hezbollah positions across several parts of southern Lebanon.
Some Iranians remain doubtful about lasting peace.
“I have no hope that this is a lasting agreement. Maybe after the 60 days they start fighting again,” said Mina, a 54-year-old psychologist in Tehran.
Under the deal, Washington agreed to immediately remove oil sanctions that have weighed heavily on Iran’s economy.
The agreement also states that once a final deal on Iran’s nuclear programme is reached, the United States will support the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund backed by regional partners.
Trump’s decision to end the conflict has drawn criticism from some allies, with US Senator Bill Cassidy calling it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.
Defending the move, Trump argued that prolonging military action would have worsened the crisis.
“The only way I can get tougher is if I go in there for another two or three weeks and continue to bomb the hell out of ’em. Right? But what does that get us? The Strait of Hormuz will not be open,” he said.
“We wouldn’t have oil for months,” he added. “This is the kind of thing that could cause a worldwide depression.”