U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Delayed as Vance's Switzerland Trip Postponed

High-stakes nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran faced an immediate setback on Thursday when Vice President JD Vance's planned weekend trip to Switzerland was abruptly postponed. Vance had been scheduled to fly overnight Friday to a mountainside resort in the Swiss village of Obbürgen to begin technical discussions with Iranian counterparts, but the White House cancelled the trip citing unresolved logistical complexities. The postponement came just two days after President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an agreement establishing a 60-day window for permanent negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and restoring oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels.

The cancellation followed reports that Iran was delaying dispatch of its delegation due to Israel's ongoing military campaign in Lebanon, where Israel maintains a presence in southern Lebanese territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Thursday that Israeli forces would remain in the region as long as security needs require, though the provisional agreement does not explicitly mandate Israeli withdrawal and only guarantees Lebanon's "territorial integrity." Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are parties to the Iran-U.S. agreement.

Earlier Thursday, before the cancellation announcement, Vance had indicated uncertainty about the weekend talks during a White House briefing. "Our plan is to go to Switzerland, I don't know exactly when. We think these technical negotiations start sometime this weekend. That's still the plan. But that could change," he told reporters. The statement suggested growing doubts about the timeline even as preparations advanced, with White House officials, advance staffers, and journalists already positioned in Switzerland awaiting Vance's arrival.

Shortly after Vance's remarks, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei—who was severely wounded in a February 28 U.S. strike that killed his predecessor and father, Ali Khamenei—endorsed direct negotiations with the United States in a statement read by state media. His endorsement appeared to signal that Iran's leadership could proceed with a first round of talks, providing political cover for the negotiating team despite opposition from hard-liners in the Iranian government who have historically opposed direct dialogue with Washington, particularly following Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.

The agreement signed Wednesday by Trump during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles with French President Emmanuel Macron requires Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium—believed to be buried under rubble from U.S. military strikes targeting Tehran's nuclear sites last year—to be diluted under international supervision. It also commits Iran to not procure or develop nuclear weapons, though numerous technical details remain to be negotiated. The White House framed the logistics delay as temporary, with Vance's team indicating the talks would be rescheduled.