US-Iran talks in Switzerland cancelled after Hezbollah-Israel clashes

Talks set to begin Friday between the United States and Iran in Switzerland were cancelled after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli forces and Israel carried out airstrikes in south Lebanon that killed several people.

The talks had been scheduled in the Swiss village of Obbürgen, two days after a memorandum of understanding opened a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent deal on Iran’s nuclear program and ease oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House said it still looked forward to “beginning technical talks as soon as possible,” but announced that Vice President JD Vance, who leads the negotiations for the Trump administration, would not travel. A spokesperson said late Thursday that “the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable” and that Vance was not departing that night.

The cancellation followed the heaviest exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah since their ceasefire. Hezbollah fired several salvos of rockets at Israeli forces near Nabatieh in south Lebanon late Thursday. Israel responded with airstrikes on the city and nearby towns, killing and wounding several people, including children.

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops trying to advance toward the hills around Nabatieh, a site of repeated clashes since the US-Iran ceasefire. Israel had been moving toward the southern Lebanese city before the truce.

Vance’s staff and a group of journalists had already gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, and dozens of White House officials and media were in Switzerland preparing for his arrival.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said Thursday he had approved the memorandum despite reservations. The United States lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports the same day.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian negotiators wanted to see signs of implementation before further talks and that there was no confirmation their delegation would travel to Geneva. Al-Mayadeen, a network aligned with Hezbollah, said Tehran was delaying its delegation because of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.

Israel, which was not part of the US-Iran talks and has kept its distance from the agreement, continued its operations in Lebanon. It launched fresh airstrikes early Friday and accused Hezbollah of breaking the ceasefire, a charge the group returned.

Hezbollah said Friday that its fighters destroyed three Israeli tanks in south Lebanon and that clashes were continuing. Israel has not confirmed any tanks were hit.

Hezbollah entered the wider Middle East war in March by attacking Israel, saying the move was in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader by the United States and Israel. The subsequent Israeli invasion and bombing campaign in south Lebanon has killed more than 3,900 people there. Hezbollah has killed at least 32 Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians.

On Thursday, Israel announced a “security zone” covering hundreds of square miles of Lebanese territory. Lebanese officials have demanded a full Israeli withdrawal, which Iran said the memorandum requires.

The memorandum calls for the “permanent termination” of the war in Lebanon and for the country’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty” to be ensured. President Trump has said he expects a complete ceasefire on all fronts.

Israel has said it will not withdraw its troops from south Lebanon, drawing open criticism from Trump and Vance. On Thursday, Vance said Israel needed to respect the peace process.

“What the president has grown frustrated with at times, is that we seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden, there’s a major explosion that goes off in a civilian population centre in Beirut, and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives,” Vance told reporters. He added that such actions were “not acceptable.”

On Friday, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Ghalibaf, warned against any breach of the agreement. “In case of misconduct, breach of treaty and excess of the other side, we have no doubt that decisive respond will be given to the enemy,” he said.

The back-and-forth over the talks adds to uncertainty over whether a lasting truce can be reached in a regional war that has killed at least 7,000 people, sent energy prices higher and shaken global markets.

Khamenei said Thursday that Trump had signed the deal “out of desperation” and warned that upcoming talks would not be easy. “If the American side wants to be too demanding, we will not accept it,” he said in a written message.

The memorandum gives negotiators 60 days to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program unless both sides agree to an extension. It also sets up a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.

US forces lifted their naval blockade of Iranian ports Thursday, though American warships will remain in the area, the US military said. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained limited.