JD Vance cancels trip to Europe for peace talks with Iran this weekend

U.S Vice-President JD Vance pulled come out of a planned trip up to receive iranian language negotiators in suisse on Friday to begin complex talks on implementing the 14-point agreement struck between Tehran and Washington to end their war, a White House spokesperson said.

U.S. Officials said this week they ‌would hold a formal signing ceremony for the U.S.-Iran agreement in Geneva, but Iran's Foreign Ministry cast doubt on that, saying it was unnecessary after the presidents of both countries signed the agreement Wednesday.

Iran had said it was ready to begin technical talks after the two countries extended a tenuous ceasefire by at least 60 days with the accord. But the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported earlier Thursday, before Vance's announcement, that Iran's negotiators needed to see signs the U.S. Was implementing the interim agreement before the next rounds of ​peace talks could begin. It said there was no confirmation that Iran's delegation would travel to Geneva.

Vance and ​the U.S. Delegation had been ready to depart as soon as plans for the talks had been finalized, the White House spokesperson said in a statement Thursday night.

"But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable," the statement said.

There was no immediate response from Iran's government.

The diplomatic back-and-forth over the ​planned ceremony and photo op adds to uncertainty over whether a lasting truce can be found in a regional war that has killed at least 7,000 people, sent ⁠energy prices soaring and shaken global markets.

But Israel, which was not included in the peace talks and has distanced itself from he U.S.-Iran accord, continued its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, also raising questions about whether the agreement would ​hold.

In Washington, some of U.S. President Donald Trump's Republican allies in Congress questioned whether ​he had given up too much in order to end the conflict, which is unpopular with U.S. Voters.

Trump previously wrote he would only end the war with Iran's "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER," but the memorandum he signed with Iran instead provides relief from economic sanctions, unfreezes assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediately provides U.S. Waivers for Iran ⁠to export its oil.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Trump signed the deal "out of desperation" and signalled that upcoming talks over Iran's nuclear ​program — Trump's stated reason for starting the war — would not be easy.

"If the American side wants to be ⁠too demanding, we will not accept it," ⁠he said in a written message.

Iran, U.S. Reach deal to end war, 'including in Lebanon,' and reopen Strait of Hormuz

Oil tankers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and the United States said it lifted its blockade on Iran Thursday as an interim deal to end the war took ‌effect.

Oil prices dropped to their lowest level since March 2, as analysts said exports through the strait, which handles about one-fifth of global oil supply, could return to normal in the coming months.

The deal gives negotiators 60 days ‌to reach agreement on the status of Iran's nuclear program, and set up a $300-billion US reconstruction fund for Iran, along with other financial incentives.

When he launched the war nearly four months ago, Trump said he aimed to destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program, ⁠end its ability to strike its neighbours, prevent it from supporting allied militants in the region and make it possible for Iranians to topple their hardline leaders.

Trump signed the agreement with none of those objectives met.

Trump praises 14-point Iran deal to end war, open Strait of Hormuz

In the agreement, Iran restated its decades-long position that it will not get or develop nuclear weapons, a position doubted by a succession of U.S. Presidents. It also agreed to the onsite "down blending" of its highly enriched uranium stockpile and inspections by ⁠the International Atomic Energy Agency as a Non-Proliferation Treaty member, rejecting Trump's wish to remove the material from the country.

U.S. Officials say the negotiations could still yield a ‌strong agreement on Iran's nuclear program. But critics say Iran is in a stronger position now, having withstood a superpower attack, exerted control of the Strait of Hormuz and gained valuable waivers to financial sanctions.

Iran has said it will still exert control over the strait in partnership with its neighbour Oman across the strait and intends to charge ships fees for services that did not exist before the war, though no fees will be charged during the 60-day negotiation period.

In Lebanon, where more than a million people are displaced by the fighting, Israeli forces launched fresh airstrikes early Thursday, raising doubts about how far Trump ⁠will go to force his wartime allies to halt an offensive he has now pledged to end.

Trump said the United States expects "a complete ceasefire on all fronts," including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel.

"We encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The ​deal calls for the "permanent termination" of the war in Lebanon and for its "territorial integrity and sovereignty" to be ensured. Israel, which was not part of ​the negotiations, has said it has no intention ⁠of withdrawing from Lebanon and released a new map showing an expanded occupation zone.

Trump has become openly critical of Israel's operations in Lebanon, leading to one of the biggest rifts between the two countries in decades.

U.S. And Iran sign deal that includes plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz, 2-month window for nuclear talks

Iran says Israel must withdraw from Lebanon to sign tentative deal to end war with U.S.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters on Thursday that Israel was holding negotiations with the United States as it seeks to continue its deployment of troops in southern Lebanon.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the notion of Israeli security zones in Lebanese territory.

"No yellow zones, no red zones, and no green zones. Israel must leave, and it will leave," he said.

While fighting in Lebanon tamped down at the start of this week when Trump first announced the deal had been reached, it has ticked up again over the past few days and continued Thursday morning.

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