US-Iran deal under strain as Swiss talks postponed

Switzerland said on Friday that planned talks between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East conflict had been postponed, shortly after US Vice-President JD Vance scrapped his scheduled trip to Geneva, deepening uncertainties over whether a durable truce can be reached.

The signing of an interim 14-point accord this past week was designed to end the conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch a 60-day window covering core issues including Iran's nuclear program. Nevertheless, the ceasefire failed to halt hostilities in Lebanon, as the Israeli military launched fresh airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Friday.

"Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks. The relevant preparatory work is continuing," the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement, without disclosing a new date for the talks.

The latest setback came after the White House confirmed the cancellation of Vance's visit late on Thursday, with a spokesperson saying the "logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable", and adding that the US looks forward to beginning technical talks "as soon as possible".

Diplomatic teams from both sides had been set to meet at Switzerland's Burgenstock resort to discuss specific implementation arrangements for the interim deal sealed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he had approved the accord, despite reservations, even as the US lifted a blockade of Iranian ports. Face-to-face negotiations with the US will be held in the future, but that does not mean "accepting the enemy's point of view", he added.

The war, which began on Feb 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has killed at least 7,000 people, sent energy prices soaring and shaken global markets.

On Friday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Tehran would give a "decisive" response if the agreement was breached.

The US military said on Thursday that it had lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, but stressed that US warships "will remain in the general area".

Global oil prices tumbled on Friday to the lowest level since March 2. A total of 25 commercial vessels crossed the newly reopened Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the highest number since mid-April, according to data from maritime tracking firm AXSMarine published on Friday. Lloyd's List earlier estimated that around 550 merchant vessels were waiting to leave the Persian Gulf.

"Only around 25 inbound and outbound vessels passed through the strait yesterday, far below regular levels of about 130 ships daily," said Rahul Kapoor, an analyst at S&P Global Energy.

"Traffic recovery remains slow starting from a historic low, and full normalization will take weeks or even months," Kapoor said.

Iranian state TV said that no fee will be charged for 60 days for passage by ships requesting to cross the strait, which handles about one-fifth of the global oil supply, and that all expenses will be covered by the Iranian government.

Under the text of the interim deal, Washington commits to immediately waiving oil sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy, and once a final agreement is reached on Iran's nuclear program, the US will facilitate the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund supported by nations in the region.

Trump's deal with Iran has opened a rare rift with some Republicans. US Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, described it as the "worst foreign policy blunder in decades".

Trump has argued that using military force to wring more concessions out of Tehran would have been counterproductive. "The only way I can get tougher is if I go in there for another two or three weeks and continue to bomb the hell out of them. Right? But what does that get us? The Strait of Hormuz will not be open," he told Axios.

Israel, left out of the peace talks, continued its bombardment against Hezbollah in Lebanon, raising questions about whether the agreement would hold. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling overnight killed at least 18 people.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn