The White House said Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance has postponed a planned trip to Switzerland, where he was expected to lead a new round of talks with Iran over its nuclear program, casting fresh uncertainty over efforts to secure a tentative framework aimed at ending the conflict.
According to the White House, Vance’s team had been preparing to depart but delayed the visit, citing logistical challenges surrounding the negotiations. The announcement came shortly after Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel aligned with Hezbollah, reported that Iran had also postponed sending its delegation to Switzerland amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.
Vance, who initially expressed skepticism about U.S. involvement in a war with Iran, has since emerged as a key public voice for the administration on the issue and a vocal defender of the proposed diplomatic deal.
Earlier Thursday, he took the relatively unusual step of appearing at the White House to defend the initial deal to extend the ceasefire for 60 days and allow more negotiations, arguing that while it offers concessions, Iran must first comply with U.S. demands.
"As they dial up their good behavior, we can dial up the economic relief,” Vance said. "If they dial down their good behavior, we can turn it off.”
Vance also said during those remarks that he was not certain about the timing of his planned trip to Switzerland and that talks might not begin this week. The postponement has added further uncertainty.
Vance remaining in Washington came after the U.S. said it had lifted its blockade, allowing oil tankers to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz after months of restricted passage through the critical waterway. Still, the tentative agreement has drawn sharp criticism from some in the U.S., including a few congressional Republicans, who argue Washington ceded too much to Iran through sanctions relief and a potential $300 billion fund for rebuilding.
Earlier, a top Trump administration envoy told U.S. lawmakers in a private briefing that Iran would invite the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect its nuclear sites.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to endorse direct negotiations for his officials.
"It is obvious that face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” he said in a statement read by state media.
It was Khamenei’s first reaction to the agreement and was interpreted as a shift in Iran’s approach. Hard-liners, including allies of the supreme leader, have long opposed direct talks, especially after the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with 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 states that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium must be diluted under international supervision at a minimum level. It also says Iran shall not develop or acquire nuclear weapons, a commitment it has made previously.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told members of Congress that Iran would invite the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin identifying the locations of Tehran’s enriched material, which is believed to be buried under rubble.
Witkoff’s private briefing was described by two people familiar with the conversation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door session.
The agreement requires Iran to "commit to renounce its nuclear ambitions in writing,” said White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales. The IAEA did not respond to a request for comment.
Witkoff told congressional leaders and members of national security committees that the agreement did not include any side deals, but that a separate letter was drafted between Tehran and the IAEA extending the invitation.
Witkoff said the letter to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi would allow inspectors access to Iranian nuclear sites.
Before Vance’s trip was postponed, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also delayed a planned visit to Switzerland, where officials had intended to hold a ceremonial signing of the agreement. The visit was postponed after the agreement had already been signed by Iran and the United States, according to two senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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 set to take immediate effect and extends a ceasefire while giving both sides 60 days to negotiate broader agreements.
Vance, speaking at the White House, dismissed criticism over the rollout of the agreement, saying, "I don’t think our public messaging has been chaotic.”
He also issued a blunt warning to Israel, which has urged the U.S. to take a harder stance against Iran and carried out strikes on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon throughout the war, including just before the ceasefire extension was reached. Those attacks complicated diplomatic efforts.
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 signed the agreement to avoid "economic catastrophe” in the U.S. after the war pushed up oil prices, rattled financial markets and fueled inflation. The deal contributed to a drop in gas prices and gains in stock markets, though those trends could reverse depending on the outcome of future U.S.-Iran talks.
Vance said more than 12.5 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, adding that easing restrictions on Iran meant "honoring our end of the early part of the agreement on the military side.”
U.S. Central Command said American warships "will remain in the general area to ensure all aspects of the agreement are adhered to and fully enforced.”
Iranian state media said shipping had "normalized” at southern ports but added that the strait remains under Iranian military supervision and that transit still requires coordination.
Major shipowners began moving vessels through the strait after the agreement was signed, according to maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence, though it did not provide figures on total traffic.
In a briefing, Richard Meade, editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, said that for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies are transiting the strait after being effectively stranded since February. He added it could take weeks or months to fully reopen the waterway, and that alternative routes do not have the same capacity as the strait’s main passage.