U.S. Vice-President JD Vance speaks to reporters at the White House on June 18, 2026, in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP
Switzerland said U.S. talks with Iranian negotiators on a pact to end the war in West Asia would not take place on Friday (June 19, 2026), while Vice President JD Vance dropped plans to travel there, fuelling uncertainty whether a lasting truce can be found.
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“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday (June 18).
U.S. Vice-President Vance arrives in Switzerland to launch talks with Iran on its nuclear programme
West Asia LIVE updates – June 19, 2026
Mr. Vance and the U.S. delegation had been ready to depart for the talks, set for the Swiss mountaintop resort of Burgenstock, as soon as plans were finalised.
A Swiss Foreign Ministry statement said the talks had been postponed. Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks and the relevant preparatory work at Burgenstock is continuing, the statement added.
There was no immediate response from Iran, which had said it was ready to begin technical talks after Wednesday’s 14-point accord extended a tenuous ceasefire by at least 60 days.
In Iran, the Tasnim agency said “nothing has been confirmed” about the Iranian delegation’s trip to Switzerland.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (June 18, 2026) that he had approved the agreement, despite reservations, even as the United States lifted a blockade of Iranian ports.
On Friday (June 19, 2026), Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Tehran would give a “decisive” response if the agreement was breached.
Published – June 19, 2026 10:36 am IST
