Talks between the United States (US) and Iran to discuss a long-term peace deal and sanctions on Tehran's nuclear program have been postponed, just days after the two countries signed an interim memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The talks, which were scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday, were postponed without a detailed explanation. However, the development comes as tensions in Lebanon have again escalated following clashes between the Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.
According to the Israeli army, overnight attacks in southern Lebanon targeted Hezbollah members and other militants, killing at least 16 individuals. The situation has raised concerns that the stability of the previously achieved ceasefire is increasingly fragile.
Tensions have also been reported between Washington and Tel Aviv. US President Donald Trump is said to have expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's continued military operations in Lebanon because it has the potential to undermine the newly reached understanding with Iran.
However, Israel insisted that its troops would remain on the border until the Hezbollah threat was completely eliminated.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed that the talks had been postponed but stressed that the country remained ready to host them if they continued.
At the same time, US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reportedly did not depart for Switzerland as planned.
Through the MoU signed this week, the US agreed to ease some sanctions on Iran, while Tehran pledged to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides also agreed to extend the ceasefire during the new negotiations, which are expected to last up to 60 days.
The main focus of the negotiations is to limit Iran's uranium enrichment activities in the long term and reduce the country's stock of highly enriched uranium.
The move is seen as important to avoid international concerns over the possibility of developing nuclear weapons.
The conflict that erupted since February has had a major impact on the global economy, including a surge in energy prices and inflationary pressures in various countries. Despite a ceasefire reached in April, ongoing military incidents show that the risk of instability in the Middle East region is not over yet.
