- Iran-US talks in Switzerland were called off over Israeli attacks on Lebanon, per Iranian reports
- Iran said it will not implement commitments until a ceasefire in Lebanon is reached
- The US-Iran deal includes sanction relief, asset unfreezing, and a 60-day negotiation window
Talks scheduled to be held in Switzerland on Friday to further discuss the peace deal between Iran and the US was called off allegedly over Israeli attacks on Lebanon, per Iranian media reports.
Until the time a ceasefire in Lebanon is not reached, "Iran will not unilaterally implement its commitment" decided under the memorandum of understanding signed by US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezkeshian on Wednesday, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
Al Mayadeen reported that the delegation had been preparing to travel to Switzerland to discuss the larger deal as a 60-day peace remained in place. Tehran had informed the US and mediators that a halt of hostilities in Lebanon was key to negotiations.
The suspension of talks came after Vice President JD Vance cancelled his Geneva visit. "The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable," a White House spokesperson said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from Iran, which had earlier said it was ready to begin technical talks after Wednesday's 14-point accord extended a tenuous ceasefire by at least 60 days.
Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had warned that any breach of the agreement will be met with a strong response. "We have no doubt about delivering a forceful response if the other side breaks its commitments," he had said.
Israel's attacks on Lebanon continued even as the US ally was left out of the peace talks. In Lebanon, where more than a million people have been displaced by the fighting, fresh Israeli strikes on Friday killed at least 15, the state news agency NNA said, in attacks Israel said were directed at Hezbollah targets.
In an evident wedge, Israel said it would continue its offensive in Lebanon-based Hezbollah, inviting open criticism from Trump. The US President, who had started with the vow to ensure Iran's "unconditional surrender", has also been criticised by many for conceding too much in order to end the conflict.
The memorandum signed by the US and Iran provides relief from economic sanctions, unfreezes assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediate US waivers for its exports of oil. The deal gives negotiators 60 days to agree on the status of Iran's nuclear program, unless an extension is agreed, and set up a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.
Iran has said it will still exert control over Hormuz in partnership with Oman, its neighbour across the critical waterway, and intends to charge ships service fees that did not exist before the war, although not during the 60-day talks.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Trump had signed the deal "out of desperation" and signalled that approaching talks over Iran's nuclear program, among Trump's stated reasons for starting the war, would not be easy. "If the American side wants to be too demanding, we will not accept it," he said in a message.
US officials say the negotiations could still yield a strong agreement on Iran's nuclear program, aiming to better one dating from 2015 between Iran, the US and other countries that Trump tore up in his first term. But critics say Iran is in a stronger position now, having withstood a superpower attack, demonstrated its control of the Strait of Hormuz and gained valuable waivers to financial sanctions.
