Thursday, June 18, 2026 | 7:54 p.m.
WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday nighttime that Vice President JD Vance was delaying a travel to Switzerland, wherever he'd been acceptable to pb a caller circular of negotiations with Iran implicit its atomic programme — raising questions astir what's adjacent for the tentative statement to end the war.
The squad led by Vance had been acceptable to permission but was postponing, the White House said, citing hard logistics for negotiations. The announcement followed a study from Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab outer transmission that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant radical Hezbollah, that Iran was delaying sending its delegation to Switzerland implicit Israel’s ongoing subject run successful Lebanon.
Vance, who was initially personally skeptical of the U.S. going to warfare with Iran, has progressively go the administration’s look of the struggle and has been outspoken successful defending the deal.
Earlier Thursday, helium took the comparatively antithetic measurement of appearing astatine the White House to support the archetypal woody to widen the ceasefire 60 days and let for much negotiating — arguing that portion it offers concessions, Iran archetypal has to comply with U.S. demands.
“As they dial up their bully behavior, we tin dial up the economical relief,” Vance said. “If they dial down their bully behavior, we tin crook it off.”
But the vice president besides had said during those remarks that helium was not definite of the timing of his planned to Switzerland and that talks mightiness not statesman this week. The ceremonial postponement present makes that adjacent little clear.
Vance staying enactment successful Washington came aft the U.S. said it had lifted its blockade, allowing lipid tankers to statesman freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz after months of being incapable to usage the captious channel. Still, the tentative statement has drawn crisp disapproval from immoderate successful the U.S. — including a fewer legislature Republicans — who interest Washington ceded excessively overmuch to Iran with alleviation from sanctions and a imaginable $300 cardinal money to assistance with rebuilding.
Earlier, a apical Trump medication envoy told U.S. lawmakers successful a backstage briefing that Iran volition invitation the U.N.’s atomic watchdog bureau to inspect its atomic sites.
And Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had seemed to endorse nonstop negotiations for his officials.
“It is evident that the face-to-face negotiations that volition beryllium held successful the aboriginal volition not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” helium said successful a connection work by authorities media.
It was Khamenei’s archetypal absorption to the agreement, and it was interpreted arsenic a displacement successful Iran’s approach. Hard-liners, particularly Khamenei’s father, the erstwhile ultimate leader, person agelong opposed nonstop talks, particularly aft the U.S. pulled retired of the 2015 atomic deal between Iran and satellite powers.
The ultimate person has not been seen successful nationalist since helium was wounded successful a onslaught astatine the commencement of the war.
Lawmakers told Iran volition invitation UN inspectors to its atomic sites
The statement states that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium indispensable astatine minimum beryllium diluted nether planetary supervision. It besides says that Iran shall not procure oregon make atomic weapons — a committedness it has made previously.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told members of Congress that Iran volition invitation the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its atomic sites and statesman enactment connected identifying and uncovering the locations of Tehran’s enriched material, which is believed to beryllium buried nether rubble.
Witkoff's backstage briefing was described by 2 radical acquainted with the speech who spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity to stock the closed-door details.
The statement requires Iran to “commit to renounce their atomic ambitions successful writing,” said White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales. The IAEA did not respond to a petition for comment.
Witkoff told legislature enactment and members of nationalist security-related committees that the statement the U.S. struck with Iran did not see immoderate broadside deals, but a broadside missive was drafted betwixt Tehran and the IAEA extending the invitation.
Witkoff said the missive to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi would alteration him to bring U.S. atomic inspectors to Tehran.
Vance defends US-Iran woody and has crisp words for Israel
Before Vance delayed his trip, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif postponed a planned sojourn to Switzerland, wherever Islamabad officials had primitively planned to big a ceremonial signing ceremonial for the agreement. That sojourn was postponed due to the fact that the statement had already been signed by some Iran and the U.S., said 2 elder officials who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that of the sensitivity of the matter.
President Donald Trump signed the archetypal pact with Iran connected Wednesday portion eating with French President Emmanuel Macron astatine the Palace of Versailles. The woody is slated to instrumentality contiguous effect and extends a ceasefire portion giving each broadside 60 days to hammer retired broader agreements connected larger issues.
Vance, successful his comments astatine the White House, shrugged disconnected disapproval astir the confusing rollout of the archetypal deal, saying, “I don’t deliberation our nationalist messaging has been chaotic."
He besides offered a blunt informing to Israel, which has pushed the U.S. to instrumentality a harder stance against Iran and launched attacks connected the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon passim the war, including conscionable earlier the woody extending the ceasefire was reached. Those attacks analyzable the bid efforts with Iran.
Trump “is the lone caput of authorities successful the full satellite who is sympathetic to the federation of Israel astatine this infinitesimal successful time," Vance said. “And helium happens to beryllium the caput of authorities of the world’s superpower.”
Shipping starts to prime up
Trump said helium signed the statement to debar “economic catastrophe” successful the U.S., aft the warfare caused lipid prices to skyrocket, made fiscal markets skittish and fueled inflation. The woody caused state prices to autumn and banal markets to emergence — though rallies could beryllium threatened again depending connected however the adjacent circular of U.S.-Iran talks go.
The vice president said much than 12.5 cardinal barrels of lipid went done the Strait of Hormuz connected Wednesday nighttime and said that the U.S. easing its blockade of Iran means “honoring our extremity of the aboriginal portion of the statement connected the subject side.”
U.S. Central Command said American warships “will stay successful the wide country to marque definite that each aspects of the statement are adhered to, obeyed and successful afloat unit and effect.”
Iranian authorities media said shipping had “normalized” astatine Iran’s confederate ports but added that the strait remains supervised and nether the power of the Iranian military, and transiting done the captious waterway inactive requires coordination.
Major shipowners began moving vessels done the strait aft the statement was signed, according to maritime information institution Lloyd’s List Intelligence, though Lloyd's did not springiness information connected however galore ships person passed done the strait arsenic of Thursday.
In a media briefing, Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, said for the archetypal clip successful 110 days, ships owned by large companies are transiting the strait aft efficaciously being marooned determination since February. It could instrumentality weeks oregon months to afloat reopen the strait, and the 2 alternate routes bash not person arsenic overmuch capableness arsenic the strait's cardinal passage.
English (US)·