Lebanon Fighting Delays U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks in Switzerland, as Qatar Funds Are Floated

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Switzerland for expected negotiations with Iran over a final nuclear agreement, Axios reported overnight Friday to Saturday. Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is already in Switzerland, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also expected to arrive Saturday, though that was not final. The talks are set to be held at the luxury Bürgenstock resort overlooking Lake Lucerne.

The meeting had originally been due to start Friday, but Vice President JD Vance canceled a planned trip to lead the American delegation after a sharp escalation in Lebanon. Four Israeli soldiers were killed in a tank incident overnight Thursday to Friday, including Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimon, commander of the 52nd Armored Battalion. In response, the IDF struck about 150 targets in Lebanon, where local reports said 47 people were killed and 97 wounded. Despite the violence, Washington announced that Israel and Hezbollah had reached a ceasefire said to take effect at 4 p.m., even after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to exact a heavy price from Hezbollah. An Israeli official said the ceasefire had not changed the situation and still allowed the army to keep destroying infrastructure and responding to emerging threats.

Lebanese media reported continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, including around Nabatieh and near Tyre, with artillery fire also reported at Roman and Joz. The Lebanese National News Agency said three people were killed overnight, and one Lebanese report said 14 strikes were carried out in less than two hours, mostly near Nabatieh. In Tehran, senior officials warned that U.S. failure to enforce the ceasefire clause would have consequences, and one Iranian lawmaker said Washington’s conduct would draw a “smart and deterrent” response.

According to Axios, the Iranians want to see the Lebanon ceasefire enforced before moving ahead. A mediator source said Araghchi told regional counterparts that Lebanon would be decisive for the fate of the talks. The agenda also includes Iranian demands for economic relief, including discussion of unfreezing assets valued at about $100 billion. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. and Qatari officials are already discussing releasing an initial $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds held in Qatar, restricted to food, medicine and humanitarian goods. That money would be the first tranche of an Iranian demand to free up as much as $24 billion. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is also in Switzerland to assist with technical aspects of the nuclear talks, while Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, arrived there as a key mediator.