The preliminary deal to end the war between the United States and Iran faced fresh challenges on Friday after Switzerland said the next phase of talks had been postponed and Israel launched new strikes in Lebanon.
Vice President JD Vance had been expected to fly to Switzerland for talks with Iranian officials but the White House said late Thursday that his trip had been delayed. The United States was looking forward “to beginning technical talks as soon as possible,” it said in a statement.
The preliminary U.S.-Iran deal, which President Trump and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran signed this week, has been strongly criticized by Israeli lawmakers in Israel as well as some Republicans, who argue that it gives Iran economic relief while punting more difficult negotiations, including on Tehran’s nuclear program, down the road.
At a news conference on Thursday, Mr. Vance issued an unusually direct rebuke to Israeli critics of the deal. “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” he said. “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.”
Israel is not a party to the U.S.-Iran talks, and its fighting with the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has threatened to derail the agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israeli has indicated that he is not bound by the deal, which calls for a cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. That has prompted Mr. Trump himself to admonish Israel over its military campaign.
A wave of deadly attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday showed that the fighting there was far from over. The Israeli military it had launched strikes against Hezbollah targets, accusing the group of violating a cease-fire, and Hezbollah said that it had launched rockets at Israeli tanks.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that Israeli airstrikes overnight had killed at least eight people near the city of Nabatieh. The Israeli military said that a strike on a tank in southern Lebanon early Friday had killed four Israeli soldiers.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
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Swiss talks: The Swiss foreign ministry announced the postponement of the talks, which had been expected to involve Qatar and Pakistan. It said that preparations were still ongoing to host them.
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Strait of Hormuz: Commercial transit out of the Strait of Hormuz has been picking up since Mr. Trump on Wednesday signed the agreement with Iran to end the war and reopen the narrow waterway.
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Defending the deal: Mr. Vance relied on vague and misleading claims to defend the U.S.-Iran peace agreement on Thursday, asserting that Iran would gain little if it did not agree to U.S. demands in the next phase of negotiations.
