Why were US-Iran Geneva peace talks abruptly called off? What it means for the truce

Switzerland announced that US talks with Iranian negotiators regarding a Middle East peace pact will not occur this Friday as per scheduled plan.

Vice President JD Vance also cancelled his trip to Geneva, thereby casting doubt on the prospects for a lasting truce in the Middle East.

To make the future of peace talks more uncertain, a White House spokesperson issued a statement on Thursday, “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable.”

The peace talks were scheduled to be held at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland. However, the Swiss foreign ministry has not provided any detail why the negotiations were cancelled at the eleventh hour.

The announcement comes after the US and Iran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding, establishing a 60-day ceasefire. The agreement not only ended the months-long conflict on all fronts but also provided Iran with relief from economic sanctions, unfrozen tens of billions of dollars in assets, and issued waivers for Iranian oil exports.

Iran and the United States have committed to a maximum of 60 days to reach a final deal. However, the window can be extended through mutual consent.

There is no response from Iran regarding the delay of talks but earlier Tehran was hesitant to proceed with further technical talks until it sees definitive evidence of the US fulfilling its obligations.

Israel question

Although Israel was involved in conflict with Iran, it did not take part in these negotiations and distanced itself from the US. The country has continued its military offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, creating a significant diplomatic rift between the US and Israel.

JD Vance blasted Israel for committing acts of terrorism and intentionally trying to sabotage the peace deal with Iran by killing civilians in Lebanon.

“You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” he said.

Vance urged Israel to respect the peace process as it is fundamentally good for them and for the entire region and to “give a little bit of credit to the United States of America, which I think has been an incredible partner for the Israeli government for a long time”.

While the agreement calls for a permanent termination of the war in Lebanon, Israel has signalled it does not intend to withdraw. Instead, Israel has presented a map outlining an expanded occupation zone, risking the prospects of lasting truce.

Mojtaba Khamenei’s different opinion

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei revealed that he was at first not willing to accept the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran but approved it because of the assurance given by the Iranian President and other officials.

“I had ‘a different opinion’ on the US-Iran agreement ‘but due to the commitment that the honorable President… gave me on behalf of himself and other members in safeguarding the rights of the Iranian nation and the resistance front, and explicitly accepted responsibility for it, I granted permission’,” Khamenei said.

According to Khamenei, Trump has “signed the deal out of desperation” while adding that reaching agreement over Iran’s nuclear program would not be easy.

"If the American side wants to be too demanding, we ​will not accept it," he said.