_updates.jpg)
The highly awaited follow-up talks in Switzerland between the US and Iran were abruptly cancelled as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes.
The talks were set to begin in the Swiss village of Obbürgen on Friday, June 19, two days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding that opened a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent understanding over Iran's nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
A White House spokesperson announced that JD Vance, who is leading negotiations for the Trump administration, will not be travelling to Switzerland, citing unresolved logistical issues surrounding the negotiations.
The cancellation plans were announced as the Vance's staff and a small group of journalists had already gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington in anticipation of the trip.
Israel, which was not included in the peace talks and has distanced itself from the US-Iran agreement, has continued its fighting in Lebanon and launched fresh airstrikes early on Friday.
The MOU calls for the "permanent termination" of the war in Lebanon and for the country's "territorial integrity and sovereignty" to be ensured. US President Donald Trump has said he expects a complete ceasefire on all fronts.
However, Israeli troops have refused to pull out from south Lebanon, leading to open criticism from Trump and Vance.
Israel has so far insisted it will not pull out its troops from south Lebanon, leading to open criticism from Trump and Vance.
On Thursday, Vance said Israel needed to respect the peace process.
"What the president has grown frustrated with at times, is that we seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden, there's a major explosion that goes off in a civilian population centre in Beirut, and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives," Vance told reporters.
The vice president also called out the criticism the peace deal is reportedly receiving from Israel, sharing that the members of the Israeli leader's cabinet should not stand against their only ally at the moment.
He also said that cabinet members should remember that two-thirds of the defensive weapons that Israel possesses "have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars".
