The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed that the planned talks involving the United States, Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan had been postponed.
By United with Israel Staff
Planned U.S.-Iran technical talks in Switzerland have been postponed amid continuing violence in Lebanon, with both Washington and Tehran signaling delays as fighting on Israel’s northern front threatens to complicate efforts to advance the emerging agreement.
A White House spokesperson confirmed Friday that Vice President JD Vance would not be departing for Switzerland as previously expected.
“As the vice president said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,” the spokesperson said.
“But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now, the vice president is not departing tonight.”
The statement came shortly after Iran’s negotiating delegation announced it was postponing its own planned trip to Switzerland just before the next round of talks was set to begin.
According to sources close to the Iranian delegation cited by the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network, the decision was made in response to Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry later confirmed that the planned talks involving the United States, Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan had been postponed.
“The planned talks between the U.S., Iran, Qatar and Pakistan have been postponed,” the ministry said, adding that Switzerland remains ready to facilitate future negotiations and that preparatory work at Bürgenstock is continuing.
Axios reported Friday, citing two knowledgeable U.S. sources, that Vance’s trip was delayed because of the ongoing fighting in Lebanon.
The postponement comes after a deadly escalation on Israel’s northern front. Overnight, four Israeli soldiers were killed when a suspicious aerial threat struck their tank near the village of Tebnit in southern Lebanon. In a separate incident, a reserve officer was seriously wounded and several additional soldiers were injured in an explosive drone attack.
Israel responded with extensive airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Nabatieh and other areas of southern Lebanon.
The latest violence has further complicated efforts to finalize the emerging U.S.-Iran agreement, which includes provisions calling for an end to military activity across all fronts, including Lebanon.
Iranian officials have increasingly sought to link any final agreement to developments in Lebanon. Tehran has repeatedly argued that the agreement’s language regarding Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity requires a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a position Israel has firmly rejected.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump publicly called for a “complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel,” while urging regional actors to allow negotiations to proceed.
Yet Hezbollah attacks on Israeli forces have continued despite those calls, highlighting the growing gap between diplomatic efforts to secure a broader agreement and the reality on the ground in southern Lebanon.
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