JD Vance's trip to Switzerland postponed

The White House said US Vice President JD Vance's trip to Switzerland for talks with Iran had been postponed, with negotiations previously expected to take place on Friday. Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said despite having a different view, he granted the permission for signing a peace memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington. Elsewhere, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's military will stay in southern Lebanon.

The US push to quickly begin high-stakes talks with Iran hit a snag just two days after the signing of an agreement that opens a 60-day window for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and getting oil traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz back to prewar levels. US Vice President JD Vance had been prepared to make an overnight flight Friday to meet with his Iranian counterparts at a mountainside resort in Switzerland. But then abruptly on Thursday evening the trip was called off, at least for the time being. The White House issued a statement explaining Vance, who has been tapped by US President Donald Trump to lead the negotiations and his delegation were prepared for talks, but they were unable to finalise plans and the vice president would remain in Washington D.C.

Vance earlier defended Trump's Iran deal touting it as a "win" for Americans that is "already bearing real fruits." Vance pointed to the falling petrol prices and the fact that oil is now moving through the Strait of Hormuz. In a rare rebuke, Vance also issued a warning against Israeli officials who criticise Trump over the deal. He said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "to his credit, has not gone down this path" but blamed members of his Cabinet.

JD VANCE, US Vice President: "If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world. And the second message I would give to some of those cabinet members, Bibi, to his credit, has not gone down this path, but to some of these cabinet members in Israel who are attacking the president of the United States, the other thing that I would say is that over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars. The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in."

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said despite having a different view, he granted the permission for signing a peace memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington. Khamenei said the officials in charge made extensive efforts out of "sincere concern and goodwill" in the course of reaching this stage, adding, "of course, it was the American president who, out of desperation, used all kinds of leverages to bring this about." Elsewhere, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's military will stay in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied up to 10 kilometres from the border. In his first comments since the US-Iran agreement was signed, Netanyahu said Israel must "maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon."

The Israeli military launched multiple strikes inside southern Lebanon on Friday morning as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area. Lebanon's state-run news agency reported at least 18 people were killed. It remains unclear how the Iran deal will affect the Israel-Lebanon conflict, but some reports have suggested the Friday US-Iran talks are postponed due to Iran's objection to Israel's ongoing campaign in Lebanon.