US-Iran Peace Talks Collapse as Israel Escalates Lebanon Strikes

Talks scrapped on the runway

Planned negotiations between the United States and Iran to implement their freshly signed peace memorandum were called off Friday, just 48 hours after the two presidents inked an interim deal to end more than three months of war.nbcnews Vice President JD Vance, leading the U.S. delegation, had been set to fly to the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock — his staff and a press pool had already assembled at Joint Base Andrews — when the White House announced late Thursday he would not depart.theguardian Switzerland's foreign ministry confirmed Friday morning that the talks, which were also to include Qatar and Pakistan as mediators, would not proceed as scheduled.nbcnews

The White House blamed logistics, saying "the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable."reuters A regional diplomat told NBC News that Iran was demanding guarantees that hostilities in Lebanon would cease, as required by the interim agreement, before its delegation would travel.nbcnews

Israel's Lebanon offensive shakes the framework

The memorandum signed Wednesday by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian calls for "an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."nbcnews Israel, left out of the talks, has rejected any obligation to withdraw from the self-declared security zone it has carved out in southern Lebanon.reuters Overnight fighting surged: Hezbollah ambushed Israeli forces near the Ali al-Taher hill north of the Litani River, destroying three tanks and killing four Israeli soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks of the conflict.reuters Israel struck back against more than 80 targets across the south and the Bekaa Valley; Lebanese health authorities reported at least 18 people killed and 33 wounded.reuters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to keep hitting Hezbollah "with force," while far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich called for broad retaliation.reuters France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, urged Washington to "exert all the necessary pressure" on Israel to honor the ceasefire.theguardian

A 60-day clock, already ticking

The interim deal gives both sides 60 days to resolve the hardest outstanding questions — the status of Iran's nuclear program foremost among them — while setting up a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and lifting economic sanctions.reuters The U.S. Navy lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports Thursday, though traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained thin.nbcnews

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approved the memorandum while warning Trump had signed "out of desperation" and that Tehran would not accept "excessive" American demands in the negotiations ahead.reuters Some Republican allies in Congress questioned whether Trump had conceded too much, given his earlier vow to accept nothing short of Iran's "unconditional surrender."reuters Vance fired back Thursday, telling reporters Israel was "attacking the only powerful ally" it had left and must respect the peace process.nbcnews