Planned technical negotiations between the United States and Iran in Switzerland to discuss the terms of a ceasefire agreement have been delayed. The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed early Friday that the talks, which were to be held at Burgenstock, will not go ahead as scheduled.
Reports indicate that Iran postponed sending its delegation to Switzerland to discuss technical issues related to the ceasefire agreement — which the two countries signed electronically on Wednesday — due to Israel's ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.
Israeli attacks overnight and into Friday morning have killed at least 16 people in southern Lebanon, with Iran-linked Hezbollah reporting heavy clashes.
A ceremony and subsequent negotiations were set to take place at the Burgenstock Resort in Stansstad, near Lucerne in central Switzerland. The resort is owned by Katara Hospitality, part of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. Qatar has previously mediated peace efforts in the region.
On Friday, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a message to AFP: “The planned negotiations between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed.”
“Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. Preparatory work at Burgenstock is ongoing,” the ministry added, without giving a new date for the negotiations.
The announcement followed a report from Al-Mayadeen that Iran was delaying its delegation’s travel to Switzerland because of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israeli forces would remain in a “security zone” in southern Lebanon for as long as “Israel’s security needs require.” Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are parties to the agreement, but Iran has stressed that Israel must withdraw from the large area it occupies in southern Lebanon.
The US effort to quickly begin high-level talks with Iran hit a snag just two days after signing a 14-point memorandum with the US, outlining a framework for 60 days of negotiations.
US Vice President JD Vance was set to take an overnight flight to meet his Iranian counterparts at the mountain resort in the small Swiss village of Obburgen. His staff and a small group of reporters had even gathered at Joint Base Andrews near Washington to prepare for the trip.
Meanwhile, dozens of White House officials, advance staffers and more journalists had assembled in Switzerland to prepare for Vance's expected arrival. But on Thursday evening, the trip was abruptly canceled.
The White House issued a statement explaining that Vance and his delegation were ready for the talks but could not finalize the plans and the vice president would remain in Washington. “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the statement noted.
Also on Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif canceled his trip to Switzerland, his spokesman told AFP.
