Vice President cancels Switzerland trip over Iran talks logistics

Vice President JD Vance's scheduled Thursday night flight to Switzerland was called off by the White House. The trip had been arranged for Friday's planned signing of a diplomatic memorandum of understanding with Iran. An administration official attributed the postponement to a series of unsettled operational details regarding the upcoming bilateral diplomacy.

The statement clarified that the logistics of the negotiations have never been simple or predictable.

Background on the planned talks Prior to the delay, Vance had publicly affirmed his desire to fly to Europe for an in-person signing event. He had also stated that he was "certainly planning" to head the American diplomatic team when operational negotiations were expected to begin over the weekend.

The dynamic shifted earlier on Thursday when the pro-Iranian, Hezbollah-linked Lebanese media outlet Al-Mayadeen reported that Tehran froze its own delegation's departure for Switzerland. The outlet cited an inside Iranian source and stated that the freeze was prompted by ongoing Israeli military operations targeting southern Lebanon.

U.S. assessment The reporting underscored that the Iranian government explicitly signaled to Washington and international intermediaries that Lebanese territorial security remains a non-negotiable pillar of its participation in the broader peace framework.

A senior U.S. official cited by Channel 12 News assessed that the Iranian claims may be the reason why the talks in Switzerland will not take place on Friday. >"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.