US Envoy to Visit Switzerland Amid Tensions with Israel and Lebanon

US Envoys and Iranian Officials Set to Meet in Switzerland Amid Postponed Talks

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, are expected to travel to Switzerland for talks with Iranian officials, according to reports. The scheduled negotiations between the US and Iran were postponed on Thursday.

Witkoff is reportedly en route to Switzerland, while Kushner was already in the country, according to sources. Vice President JD Vance had initially planned to attend but postponed his trip.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also expected to travel to Switzerland on Saturday, although plans may change. According to a source from one of the mediating countries, Araghchi stated that Iran views a ceasefire in Lebanon as essential to the diplomatic process and that it could “make or break” the US-Iran talks.

Meanwhile, at least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The attacks occurred hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group took effect.

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war in Lebanon is still pending. Article 1 of the MoU states that ending the war in Lebanon is an integral part of the broader ceasefire arrangement across all fronts.

Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in April, followed by a series of rounds of negotiations. However, the talks have not included Hezbollah, which has hindered progress.

The Lebanese government has been seeking to disarm Hezbollah as part of a US-backed roadmap, while also pushing for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. An agreement reached in June called for Hezbollah’s withdrawal to the north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon but did not specify Israel’s full withdrawal.

Source: Al Jazeera