The White House has postponed a planned trip by Vice President JD Vance to Switzerland, where he was set to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. The delay raises uncertainty about the next steps for a tentative agreement aimed at ending the conflict between the United States and Iran.

The postponement was announced Thursday night, with the White House citing difficult logistics for the negotiations. The announcement followed a report from Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel allied with Hezbollah, that Iran was also holding back its own delegation to Switzerland because of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. Israel has continued striking Hezbollah targets throughout the war, complicating peace efforts.

The initial agreement, signed earlier this week by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, lifts the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing oil tankers to move freely through the critical waterway for the first time in months. More than 12.5 million barrels of oil passed through the strait on the night the deal was signed. Major shipowners have started moving vessels through after being unable to do so for 110 days, though it could take weeks or months to fully restore normal shipping levels. American warships remain in the general area to ensure compliance.

The deal extends a ceasefire by 60 days to allow both sides to negotiate broader issues. It requires Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium under international supervision and commits Iran to not procuring or developing nuclear weapons. It also calls for establishing a $300 billion fund for Iran's reconstruction and ending all sanctions against Iran on an agreed timeline. One summary states the agreement is a 14-point memorandum and that global oil prices dropped below $4 a barrel following the deal's signing, though this price figure is not corroborated by the other summaries. One summary also notes that the agreement does not address Iran's existing uranium stockpile, while others describe the dilution of that stockpile as a key provision.

A top Trump administration envoy, Steve Witkoff, told lawmakers in a private briefing that Iran will invite the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin identifying the locations of enriched material believed to be buried under rubble. He said a side letter was drafted between Tehran and the IAEA extending this invitation, which would allow American nuclear inspectors to enter Tehran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei endorsed direct negotiations for his officials, marking a shift from long-standing opposition to talks with Washington. A statement read by state media said that future face-to-face negotiations would not mean accepting the enemy's opinion. Khamenei has not been seen in public since being wounded in a strike at the start of the war. One summary refers to him as Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamesei, using a slightly different spelling.

Vance, who was initially skeptical of the United States going to war with Iran, has become the administration's most visible defender of the deal. He appeared at the White House earlier to argue that the agreement offers concessions to Iran only if Tehran first complies with American demands. He said that as Iran increases its good behavior, the United States can increase economic relief, and that this relief can be turned off if Iran backs away from its commitments. He also issued a sharp warning to Israel, which has pushed the United States to take a harder stance against Iran, saying that President Trump is the only head of state in the world who is sympathetic to Israel at this moment. During his earlier remarks, Vance said he was unsure of the timing of the Switzerland trip and that talks might not begin that week.

The deal has drawn sharp criticism from some congressional Republicans who argue the United States gave up too much in sanctions relief and the reconstruction fund. Senator Bill Cassidy called it the worst foreign policy blunder in decades. Vance has pushed back against this criticism, saying Iran receives no money or sanctions relief unless it meets its obligations. President Trump had previously joked that he would hold Vance responsible if the negotiations failed, and Vance responded during the briefing that he took those remarks as a joke.

Original Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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