US Vice President JD Vance has postponed a planned trip to Switzerland for talks on the next phase of the US-Iran agreement to end the war in the Middle East, the White House has said.
The visit had been scheduled for Friday. It was expected to focus on follow-up discussions to a deal signed on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
A White House spokesperson said late on Thursday that “the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable” and confirmed: “As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight.” The spokesperson added that Washington still expected to begin technical talks “as soon as possible.”
The agreement sets out a 60-day window for wider negotiations between the two countries, including on Iran’s nuclear programme. However, uncertainty has grown over the next steps, with expectations fading that a planned signing ceremony and talks in Switzerland would go ahead on Friday.
Iranian state-linked Tasnim news agency said “nothing has been confirmed” regarding the Iranian delegation’s travel to Switzerland.
In Tehran, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the agreement despite reservations. In a written statement, he said he held a “different view” but authorised the deal because of commitments made by officials, including President Pezeshkian, to “protect the rights of the Iranian nation.”
He said future “face-to-face negotiations” with the United States would take place, but added that this did not mean “accepting the enemy’s point of view”.
On Friday, Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned against any breach of the agreement. Writing on X, he said: “In case of misconduct, breach of treaty and excess of the other side, we have no doubt that decisive respond will be given to the enemy.”
The deal follows five weeks of conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces, which ended with a ceasefire in early April. American forces on Thursday lifted a naval blockade of Iranian ports, although US warships are to remain in the region. The Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, has seen limited activity, though some commercial vessels have resumed transit.
Maritime tracking data showed three Saudi oil tankers and a French liquefied natural gas vessel passing through the waterway on Thursday.
Iranian state television, citing the Supreme National Security Council, said ships seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz must now submit requests to a new authority overseeing the channel. It added that no fees would be collected for 60 days under the agreement.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, doubts remain over its durability. Mina, a 54-year-old psychologist in Tehran, said: “I have no hope that this is a lasting agreement. Maybe after the 60 days they start fighting again.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who presided over the signing at the Palace of Versailles, also expressed caution, saying he did not believe the war was “totally finished”.
Under the agreement, Washington has pledged to waive oil sanctions on Iran immediately. It also commits to facilitating a $300 billion reconstruction fund once a final nuclear deal is reached.
The agreement has drawn mixed reactions in the United States. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican, described it as the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.
President Trump defended the decision, saying further military escalation would have been counterproductive. “What does that get us?” he said in an interview, warning that continued strikes could have closed the Strait of Hormuz and triggered global economic disruption.
Inside Iran, officials have also faced criticism from hardliners, who have described the conflict as an “imposed war”. However, Ghalibaf said the agreement represented a US “failure”, while President Pezeshkian called it “historic”.
