The White House announced Thursday that Vice President JD Vance is postponing a planned trip to Switzerland to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, citing difficult logistics that made the timing impractical.
Officials said Vance’s team had been prepared to travel but decided to delay the mission after reports — including from the pan-Arab channel Al-Mayadeen, which is allied with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah — that Iran was holding up its delegation’s departure in response to Israel’s ongoing military operations in Lebanon.
The postponement comes after the U.S. lifted a blockade, allowing oil tankers to resume transits through the Strait of Hormuz following months of restricted passage. The initial U.S.-Iran agreement that prompted the lifting of restrictions has provoked criticism from some U.S. politicians, including a faction of congressional Republicans who argue the administration conceded too much by offering sanctions relief and discussing a possible $300 billion fund for reconstruction.
Vance, who appeared at the White House earlier to defend the deal, acknowledged the pact includes concessions but emphasized they are contingent on Iran’s behavior. “As they dial up their good behavior, we can dial up the economic relief,” he said. “If they dial down their good behavior, we can turn it off.” He also said he was unsure when the Switzerland talks would occur, and the delay leaves that timetable unclear.
A senior U.S. envoy briefed lawmakers in private that Iran intends to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect nuclear sites and to assist in locating and uncovering enriched material believed to be hidden under rubble. Two people familiar with that closed-door briefing, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, described the presentation by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the agreement requires Iran to renounce nuclear weapons ambitions in writing and to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium under international supervision. Witkoff told congressional leaders the U.S.-Iran agreement contains no clandestine side deals, though he said a separate letter between Tehran and the IAEA was drafted to formalize the invitation that would allow inspections and enable U.S. nuclear experts to visit Tehran. The IAEA had not responded to requests for comment.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei gave his first public reaction to the agreement in a statement read by state media, signaling a willingness to hold direct talks while asserting that face-to-face negotiations would not represent accepting an opponent’s position. Analysts treated the remarks as an unexpected shift: hard-liners historically resisted direct engagement, especially after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. Khamenei has not been seen publicly since being injured in a strike at the outset of the conflict.
The initial agreement was signed earlier this week and is intended to take immediate effect, extending a ceasefire and giving each side 60 days to negotiate wider terms. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif postponed a planned visit to Switzerland, where officials had intended to host a ceremonial signing, reportedly because the agreement had already been finalized by both countries.
President Donald Trump signed the preliminary pact while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. Trump framed the move as necessary to prevent “economic catastrophe” in the U.S., citing spiking oil prices, market volatility, and inflation driven by the conflict. Markets and gas prices reacted favorably to the announcement, though analysts warned that future political or military developments could reverse those gains.
Vance has emerged as a prominent administration voice on the crisis. Once personally skeptical of U.S. military involvement, he has defended the deal and pushed back on critics of the administration’s messaging. He also issued a blunt comment about Israel, which has pressed the U.S. for a tougher stance against Iran and conducted strikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon during the conflict. “Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Vance said, adding that the U.S. president also leads the world’s superpower.
On the military and commercial front, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has begun to recover. Vance said more than 12.5 million barrels of oil transited the strait Wednesday night, and he described the easing of the U.S. blockade as honoring the American side of the early military-phase agreement. U.S. Central Command said American warships will remain in the region to ensure compliance with the accord.
Iranian state media reported that shipping had “normalized” at southern ports but stressed that transit remains supervised by the Iranian military and coordination is still required. Maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said major shipowners have started moving vessels through the strait for the first time in months. Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, noted that ships owned by leading companies are transiting the waterway again after being effectively stalled earlier in the year.
The postponed Switzerland trip raises questions about how quickly negotiators can convert the temporary ceasefire into a more durable arrangement and whether logistical and political obstacles — including regional military activity and domestic opposition in the U.S. and Iran — will complicate a longer-term settlement.