JD Vance delays Switzerland trip as US-Iran nuclear talks face uncertainty

Washington,UPDATED: Jun 19, 2026 07:56 IST

The White House said on Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance was delaying his trip to Switzerland, where he was due to lead a fresh round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme. The move has added to uncertainty over the tentative US-Iran agreement meant to end the war, extend the ceasefire by 60 days and create space for further talks.

The delay came as the US said it had lifted its blockade, allowing oil tankers to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz after months of disruption. At the same time, details emerged about possible inspections of Iran's nuclear sites, while the agreement continued to draw criticism in the US and remained tied to wider tensions involving Israel and Lebanon.

The White House said the team led by Vance had been ready to leave for Switzerland but was postponing the trip because of difficult logistics for the negotiations. The announcement followed a report by Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel politically aligned with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, that Iran was delaying sending its delegation to Switzerland because of Israel's continuing military campaign in Lebanon.

Vance, who had initially been personally sceptical about the US going to war with Iran, has increasingly become the administration's public face on the conflict and has strongly defended the deal. Earlier on Thursday, he appeared at the White House to back the initial agreement that extends the ceasefire by 60 days and allows more negotiations, saying that while it offers concessions, Iran must first meet US demands. "As they dial up their good behaviour, we can dial up the economic relief," Vance said. "If they dial down their good behaviour, we can turn it off." He had also said earlier that he was unsure about the timing of the Switzerland trip and that talks might not begin this week. The formal postponement has now made the timetable even less clear.

The tentative agreement has drawn sharp criticism from some in the US, including a few congressional Republicans, who say Washington has given away too much through sanctions relief and a possible USD 300 billion fund for rebuilding. Earlier, a senior Trump administration envoy told US lawmakers in a private briefing that Iran would invite the UN's nuclear watchdog to inspect its nuclear sites. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei also appeared to back direct negotiations by his officials. "It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy's opinion," he said in a statement carried by state media. It was his first reaction to the agreement and was seen as a shift in Iran's approach. Hard-liners, especially Khamenei's father, the previous supreme leader, have long opposed direct talks, particularly after the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The supreme leader has not been seen in public since he was wounded in a strike at the start of the war.

The agreement says Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium must at least be diluted under international supervision. It also says Iran shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons, a commitment it has made before. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff told members of Congress that Iran would invite the Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin identifying and uncovering the locations of Tehran's enriched material, which is believed to be buried under rubble. Two people familiar with Witkoff's closed-door briefing described the discussion to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the agreement requires Iran to "commit to renounce their nuclear ambitions in writing". The IAEA did not respond to a request for comment. Witkoff also told congressional leaders and members of national security committees that there were no side deals in the agreement between the US and Iran, but that a side letter had been drafted between Tehran and the IAEA extending the invitation. He said the letter to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi would allow him to bring US nuclear inspectors to Tehran.

Before Vance delayed his trip, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also postponed a planned visit to Switzerland, where Islamabad officials had originally intended to host a ceremonial signing of the agreement. Two senior officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the visit was put off because the agreement had already been signed by both Iran and the US.

President Donald Trump signed the initial pact with Iran on Wednesday while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles. The deal is meant to take effect immediately, extending the ceasefire while giving both sides 60 days to reach broader agreements on larger issues. Responding to criticism over the way the deal was rolled out, Vance said, "I don't think our public messaging has been chaotic." He also issued a blunt warning to Israel, which has pressed the US to take a tougher line on Iran and carried out attacks on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon during the war, including just before the ceasefire extension was agreed. Those attacks complicated the peace effort with Iran. "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. "And he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower."

Trump said he had signed the agreement to avoid "economic catastrophe" in the US after the war sent oil prices sharply higher, unsettled financial markets and fuelled inflation. The deal led to a fall in gas prices and a rise in stock markets, though those gains could again come under pressure depending on how the next round of US-Iran talks unfolds.

Vance said more than 12.5 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night. He said the US decision to ease its blockade of Iran meant "honouring our end of the early part of the agreement on the military side". US Central Command said American warships "will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect". Iranian state media said shipping had "normalised" at the country's southern ports, but added that the strait remained supervised and under the control of the Iranian military, and that passage through the waterway still required coordination.

According to maritime data company Lloyd's List Intelligence, major shipowners began moving vessels through the strait after the agreement was signed, though the company did not give a figure for how many ships had passed through by Thursday. In a media briefing, Lloyd's List editor-in-chief Richard Meade said that "for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies are transiting the strait after effectively being marooned there since February". He added that it could take weeks or months to fully reopen the strait, and that the two alternative routes do not have the same capacity as the main passage.

For now, the delay in Vance's Switzerland trip has left the timing of the next US-Iran talks uncertain, even as the 60-day ceasefire extension, movement through the Strait of Hormuz and plans for nuclear inspections remain central to the initial agreement.

With PTI Inputs

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