Axios: Whitcoff Flew To Switzerland For Talks With Iran

The meeting was scheduled for June 19, but was subsequently rescheduled.

U.S. President’s Special Envoy Stephen Whitcoff flew to Switzerland to participate in the first round of negotiations with the Iranian delegation on the nuclear deal, the American news portal Axios reported late on Saturday, June 20, the American news portal Axios reported on the night of Saturday, June 20, citing a source in the U.S., as reported by "Deutsche Welle". According to the source, another White House representative—the son-in-law of President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner—is already in Switzerland.

As Axios reports, on June 19, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani —one of the key mediators between the U.S. and Iran—arrived in Switzerland on June 19. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi plans to fly to Switzerland on June 20, but those plans may change, according to the publication’s source.

Another source speaking to Axios stated that on June 19, Araghchi told his counterparts from countries mediating the talks with the U.S. about the “critical importance” of a ceasefire in Lebanon for Iran. It is reported that the Iranians want to see a sustainable ceasefire in the region before negotiations begin. So it is not yet clear whether a date has been set for a meeting between the two countries’ delegations.

Earlier, the U.S.-Iran talks were postponed on June 19

Talks between representatives from Washington and Tehran were scheduled to take place on June 19. The plan was to sign a memorandum of understanding between the two countries during those talks. One of its key provisions is a cessation of hostilities along the entire front line, including Lebanon. The document also stipulates that a 60-day period of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran would begin on the day of its signing, during which they are to agree on the final version of a peace agreement

However, the document was ultimately signed remotely on June 17, and the meeting in Switzerland was “postponed.” As Axios reports, the reason for the breakdown in negotiations was the ongoing hostilities in southern Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese radical Shiite movement “Hezbollah.” On June 19, media outlets reported that the parties had managed to agree on a ceasefire.

Trump criticized Iran for postponing the talks

Until late in the evening of June 18, the Swiss side had expected the U.S.-Iran talks to take place and was preparing to host representatives not only from these two countries but also from the mediating nations—Qatar and Pakistan. However, U.S. Vice President David James Vance then declined to participate in the meeting. It is not yet known whether he will fly to Switzerland this coming weekend.

On June 19, U.S. President Donald Trump effectively accused Iran of postponing the talks. “It wasn’t us who went to the meeting out of desperation—it was Iran. They’re finished! We will determine how these 60 days (of negotiations—Ed.) will unfold. They won’t get any money, not even ten cents,” he wrote on the social media platform Truth Social. This likely refers to a clause in the memorandum which, according to media reports, calls for allocating $300 billion to Iran for the country’s reconstruction from a private investment fund, as well as unfreezing $24 billion in Iranian assets.

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