Iran postponed the technical-level talks with the US, which were slated for Friday in Switzerland, in protest against “continued” Israeli ceasefire violations, mainly in southern Lebanon, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu.
The sources said that Tehran’s chief negotiator Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were “all set” to leave for Switzerland to hold direct talks with Washington, but they pulled out of their scheduled trip at the last minute following “directives” from the “top Iranian leadership.”
They did not specify whether the directives came directly from Supreme Leader Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, who has already said he has a “different view” on the US-Iran deal to end the war.
No new date or venue for the talks has been decided, the sources added.
“Pakistan is in touch with both sides to set a new date for the technical-level talks to reach a final agreement,” a source close to mediation said.
The signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (Islamabad MoU) by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had set the stage for direct talks between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland on Friday.
The source said that US Vice President JD Vance canceled his trip to Switzerland after Islamabad conveyed Tehran’s decision to Washington.
“The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now, the Vice President is not departing tonight,” a White House spokesperson said.
“We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”
The Swiss Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said that the Friday talks on implementing the agreement to end the war will not take place.
The Islamabad MoU gives officials and experts from the two sides the next 60 days to chalk out a final agreement, which is particularly focused on the Iranian nuclear program, as Trump declared that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that the Islamabad MoU was effective immediately after signing and said Iran and the US would take measures to open the Strait of Hormuz for full international passage.
Sharif also signed the pact as “mediator.”
The pact calls for immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, with commitments not to resort to force and to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Soon after the US and Israel initiated war on Feb. 28, Iran closed the Hormuz and later, on April 13, American forces imposed their blockade on Iranian ports-making passage of commercial ships nearly impossible through the critical waterway.
Israel has also waged attacks on Lebanon, killing nearly 3800, including civilians and soldiers, since the war began.
Over 3,300 people, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Iran, while the US has confirmed the death of 14 personnel, in addition to the loss of armed weaponry and aircraft.
After securing a ceasefire on April 08, Pakistan hosted the highest-level direct talks between the two nations on April 12 and 13 since they severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
