U.S.-Iran peace talks cancelled at last minute

Kathmandu. High-level talks on the US-Iran peace process that were scheduled to take place in Switzerland have been cancelled at the last minute. The Swiss Foreign Ministry has said it will not hold talks after US Vice President JD Vance cancelled a planned trip to Switzerland to meet Iran’s delegation.

The U.S. and Iran were scheduled to hold a peace deal in Switzerland today. According to the ministry, necessary preparations are underway in Bergenstock, but no new date has been set. Switzerland has said it is ready to facilitate the talks.

The talks were seen as the second round of talks to move forward after the recently concluded agreement. The aim was to seek an end to hostilities with Iran, restart the Strait of Hormuz and seek consensus within 60 days on Iran’s nuclear programme.

According to the US administration, the timetable is changing frequently due to the complex and unstable diplomatic process, but preparations are being made to start the technical-level discussions soon.

According to reports, the agreement has been signed separately between the top leaders of the US and Iran, which has sparked a number of political reactions. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the government had ratified the agreement in the national interest despite some disagreements. However, there has been no independent confirmation of these claims.

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has threatened to “decisively retaliate” if the deal is violated. At the same time, the US military has lifted a naval blockade on Iranian ports and said its warships will remain in the area.

Meanwhile, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have escalated again. Hezbollah has claimed that its fighters attacked Israeli tanks, but Israel has not confirmed this. According to reports, the two sides are engaged in attacks and counter-attacks in the border areas.