U.S. Vice President JD Vance has departed for Switzerland for a two-day visit, expressing hope for progress on the Iran nuclear file and a Lebanon ceasefire, according to his statement.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance departed for Switzerland on Saturday evening, his office confirmed, expressing hope for progress on the Iran nuclear file and a Lebanon ceasefire. The trip, which Vance said he would undertake 'in the coming days' as of earlier Saturday, follows weeks of delays: the White House had canceled the visit on Friday, citing logistical issues, after Iran itself had suspended its delegation's travel due to Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Vance's departure reverses that cancellation, and his statement now directly links the nuclear track to a Lebanon ceasefire — a linkage Iran had previously set as a condition.
As The Zioneer reported, the thread on this trip unfolded rapidly on Saturday. At 10:38 Jerusalem, Iran conditioned nuclear talks on a Lebanon ceasefire. By 14:31, special envoy Steve Witkoff landed in Switzerland; Jared Kushner and Iran's foreign minister were also expected. The White House's Friday cancellation at 07:49 followed earlier reports of a postponement at 05:19 due to logistics. Vance later stated at 16:11 that talks were 'progressing well,' though a single-source report said he had departed. CNN then reported he would travel later Saturday, and by 16:11 Jerusalem he had indeed left Washington. The thread's source quality progressed from one channel to multiple newsrooms, with Vance's own office confirming the departure.
Background: The talks are aimed at finalizing a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, dubbed the 'Islamabad Agreement,' with potential Trump participation, as The Zioneer reported on June 15. Iran had conditioned progress on a ceasefire in Lebanon, and the White House had repeatedly blamed logistical issues for delays.
It remains unconfirmed whether the Iranian delegation has traveled to Switzerland, and whether mediators from Qatar, Pakistan, or IAEA chief Grossi will ultimately participate, as reported by Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) but not yet corroborated.
9 developments
- DevelopingIran names full delegation for Friday talks in Switzerland with Vance leading US team
- StrongIran confirms it will attend Switzerland talks, demands US enforce halt to Israeli Lebanon strikes
- DevelopingSwiss ministry: delegations from Iran, US, Qatar, Pakistan to meet Friday at Bürgenstock for preliminary talks on deal implementation
- StrongIran names parliament speaker Qalibaf to lead delegation for Friday MOU signing in Switzerland
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