The White House said U.S. Vice President JD Vance postponed his departure to Switzerland for the first round of talks with Iran, which had been set to begin Friday. Officials attributed the change to "logistical issues," saying the American delegation was ready to leave at the earliest opportunity, but that the negotiation logistics were "never simple or predictable."
Vance said at a press conference the day before that preparations for the meeting were not yet complete, and noted that the Iranian side also faced technical problems connected to travel. His delay came hours after Iran’s negotiating delegation also announced it was putting off its own trip to Switzerland shortly before the talks were due to open. Sources close to the delegation told the Hezbollah-linked Al Mayadeen that the decision was a response to Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon.
The Iranian side had earlier shown some openness to direct talks with Washington. Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, approved direct talks but stressed that this did not mean a change in the Islamic Republic’s positions. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament and head of the negotiating team, said the discussions would keep Iran’s "red lines."
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the United States is "committed to peace" and urged all sides in the region to let the talks advance, while saying he expected a "full ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon." Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said Lebanon and Hezbollah would abide by the ceasefire as long as Israel did. Israeli ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said Israel remains committed to the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon and the U.S., but retains the right to respond to any Hezbollah threat or violation. In parallel, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Israeli security forces and said, "America and the world are safer because of your sacrifices."
