Vance shelves Switzerland visit as US-Iran talks hit early hurdles; Israel assures of commitment to peace process
Washington DC, June 19
US Vice President JD Vance has cancelled his planned trip to Switzerland for the formal in-person signing of the memorandum of understanding with Iran due to unresolved logistical issues surrounding the next phase of negotiations, CNN reported, citing a White House spokesperson.
The White House said technical talks between Washington and Tehran had yet to be finalised.
"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. But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable," CNN quoted the White House spokesperson as saying.
"As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next step. We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible," the spokesperson added.
The development comes a day after US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a 14-point MoU aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching a 60-day process to negotiate a final agreement on sanctions relief and Iran's nuclear programme.
The agreement is already facing early challenges.
At least three people were killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported, citing Lebanese state media, despite the MoU calling for the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. Despite the strikes, Israel's Ambassador Yechiel Leiter assured the world of Israel's commitment to the deal.
"Israel remains committed to the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel, Lebanon and the US. If Hezbollah does not violate the agreement, it will be kept. Under all circumstances, Israel retains its right to respond to attacks against it and to thwart threats to its territory, citizens and soldiers," he said.
However, the US is playing the game cautiously. CNN reported that JD Vance issued a sharp warning to members of the Israeli government who have criticised Trump over the agreement with Iran.
"If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world," Vance said.
Trump reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the agreement and said the United States expects all parties to uphold a ceasefire.
"The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold. The Markets are loving what is happening with Oil Prices way down, and Stocks way up. We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Earlier, Vance strongly defended the agreement, describing it as a diplomatic achievement built on military gains already secured by Washington.
"We destroyed a substantial number of their ballistic missiles and their ballistic missile launchers themselves. The nuclear weapons program is destroyed. It is gone," Vance told reporters at the White House.
The Vice President said the agreement was not a concession to Tehran and stressed that both sides retained the right to self-defence.
"Israel doesn't give up the right of self-defence... The Iranians don't give up the right of self-defence," he said.
Vance also said the United States expects Iran to abandon efforts to develop missiles capable of threatening countries beyond the region and stop financing activities that destabilise the Middle East.
According to Vance, implementation of certain provisions has already begun. He said the US Navy facilitated the passage of more than a dozen commercial vessels to Iranian ports, allowing more than 12.5 million barrels of oil to move through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have made it clear that their support for the agreement depends heavily on developments in Lebanon.
In an interview with Lebanon's Al-Akhbar newspaper, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said the memorandum requires guarantees of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which Tehran interprets as requiring a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Baghaei warned that failure to fulfil those commitments would invalidate the agreement.
"In this case, the Memorandum of Understanding would be considered null and void. When the other party guarantees Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, everything you mentioned constitutes a violation of this memorandum," he said.
He added that Iran had consistently insisted that any end to the conflict must apply to all fronts.
"When we speak of ending the war, it must end on all fronts and completely. This has been the principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the beginning of the negotiations, and we have emphasized it throughout the entire negotiation process," Baghaei said.
He further argued that a lasting peace could not be achieved while parts of Lebanese territory remained under Israeli control.
"As long as the occupation continues, it can be said that the war is still ongoing and has not ended in its essence," he said.
CNN also reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned Washington against imposing additional conditions during the negotiations.
"In the event of bad faith, breach of contract, and excessive demands by the opposing side, we have no hesitation in delivering a crushing response to the enemy," Ghalibaf said in a post on X.
He added, "They were once slapped during the war; if they wish to tread that path again, they will receive an even harder slap."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei also confirmed that he had authorised the agreement while claiming that Trump had resorted to pressure and leverage "out of desperation" to secure the initial deal, according to CNN.
The coming weeks are expected to test whether the agreement can hold as negotiations move forward amid continuing tensions in Lebanon and lingering mistrust between Washington and Tehran.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Israel says they're committed to peace but also bombs Lebanon? That's a joke 😡 The MoU is already falling apart. Meanwhile Trump is only worried about oil prices and stock markets - typical America First approach. For India, we need stability in the Gulf because millions of our workers are there and we import so much oil. Hope this doesn't spiral into another conflict.
I'm actually impressed that Vance is being honest about the challenges. "Logistics have never been simple or predictable" - that's real talk. But Iran's Parliament Speaker talking about "crushing response" and "harder slap" doesn't inspire confidence. The next 60 days will be critical. From a business perspective, falling oil prices could help Indian economy if this holds.
Honestly, I'm skeptical about any deal that involves both US and Iran making promises. Remember the JCPOA? Trump himself pulled out of that. Now they're trying again with a different Iranian leadership. And Israel is already violating the ceasefire in Lebanon. India's interest is simple: keep oil flowing and don't let Gulf turn into a warzone. But this deal looks fragile like a house of cards 🃏
Key point: Iran's condition that Lebanon must be free of Israeli occupation or the deal is null. That's a pretty big hurdle since Israel just bombed Lebanon again. And Khamenei says Trump was "desperate" to make this deal - that's not exactly starting on trust. For India, we need to maintain ties with both Iran and Israel, so this puts us in a tough position diplomatically.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.