ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Vice President JD Vance has postponed his planned Friday trip to Switzerland for high-level talks with Iranian officials, a White House official said on the same day, as media outlets close to the Iranian government also reported that plans for Tehran’s delegation to travel to Switzerland for the negotiations have not been confirmed.
“The plans for the upcoming technical talks [in Switzerland] have not been finalized,” the White House official said, adding that while “the US delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity, the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable.”
“As of now, the Vice President is not departing tonight [Friday],” the official said, signalling that the timeline remains fluid and adding, “We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
The statement came a day after the Swiss foreign ministry said on Thursday that American and Iranian officials were set to meet at Burgenstock, a premier venue for high-level international diplomacy in central Switzerland near Lake Lucerne, for “initial negotiations” on implementing the preliminary understanding signed earlier that day.
“Switzerland welcomes the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran at the highest level,” the ministry said in a statement, describing the agreement as “an important step toward de-escalation in the region.”
Bern added that “plans remain in place for [representatives of] the United States and Iran, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar and other involved countries,” to meet at the Burgenstock on Friday for “initial negotiations on implementing the agreement,” noting that no further information is currently available “on the agenda or details of the meeting.”
However, Switzerland’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the talks would not take place that day, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cited an informed source on Thursday as saying that “nothing has been finalized regarding the Iranian delegation’s trip to Switzerland,” adding that “consultations in this regard have not been completed."
The source added that it would become clear “in the coming hours” whether the delegation would travel on Friday, and that if the trip is indeed set to proceed, “the details will be announced.”
