US Vice President JD Vance has postponed a planned trip to Switzerland for talks scheduled for Friday on next steps in the US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war, the White House said.
A White House spokesperson said the logistics of the negotiations remained difficult and uncertain.
“As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight,” the spokesperson said late Thursday. “We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
The discussions were expected to follow the signing of an agreement on Wednesday between US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The deal set a 60-day window for wider negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
However, uncertainty continues over the next steps. It also remains unclear whether the two sides, who have had no diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, will hold the planned signing ceremony and talks in Switzerland.
In Iran, state news agency Tasnim said no confirmation had been received regarding the delegation’s travel to Switzerland.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said he approved the agreement despite reservations. He said he had a different view but accepted it due to commitments made by officials, including Pezeshkian, to protect Iran’s national interests.
He added that future face-to-face talks with the United States would not mean accepting the other side’s position.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned against any breach of the agreement, saying on X that any misconduct or violation would be met with a decisive response.
The agreement follows a period of conflict that saw the US lift a naval blockade on Iranian ports. American warships will remain in the region, the US military said.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited. The waterway is a key global energy route that Iran had blocked during the conflict and is expected to reopen under the deal.
Maritime trackers said three Saudi oil tankers crossed the strait on Thursday, along with a French liquefied natural gas vessel.
Iranian state TV, citing the Supreme National Security Council, said ships seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz must submit requests to a new government body overseeing the route. It added that no fees will be charged for 60 days under the agreement.
The deal is intended to end the US-Israel-Iran conflict, which saw five weeks of fighting before a ceasefire in early April.
However, public sentiment in Tehran remains cautious. Mina, a 54-year-old psychologist, said she did not believe the agreement would last and warned that fighting could resume after 60 days.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who attended the signing ceremony at the Palace of Versailles, also said he did not believe the war was fully over.
Under the agreement, Washington will immediately lift oil sanctions on Iran. After a final nuclear deal, the US will also facilitate a $300 billion reconstruction fund supported by regional countries.
US Senator Bill Cassidy of Trump’s Republican Party called the agreement the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.
In response, Trump defended the deal, saying military escalation would not bring better results.
“The only way I can get tougher is if I go in there for another two or three weeks and continue to bomb the hell out of ‘em,” he said in an interview with Axios. “But what does that get us? The Strait of Hormuz will not be open.”
He added that prolonged conflict could disrupt global oil supplies and trigger a wider economic crisis.
