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Iran said Friday there was “no urgency” to meet U.S. negotiators in Switzerland after a memorandum of understanding to end the Middle East war had already been signed electronically.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the signing of the MoU text had been completed digitally on June 18.
“Given that the signing of the text of the MoU was done digitally on June 18, there is no urgency to hold the said meeting in Switzerland, but we are planning to hold a meeting in the coming days,” Baqaei said.
The planned meeting had been expected to take place at the Burgenstock hotel complex in central Switzerland, which overlooks Lake Lucerne from a mountain top.
The venue had been chosen as the safest and most isolated location for the next stage of U.S.-Iran talks.
Attention had turned to Burgenstock as the next venue for discussions between U.S. and Iranian representatives.
The luxury hotel complex has hosted prominent guests for decades and is known as the place where Audrey Hepburn married her first husband, Mel Ferrer.
The planned talks drew further attention after they appeared likely to go ahead on Friday, before being postponed at the last minute late Thursday.
The postponement was reportedly linked to Israeli military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Journalists covering the White House had already been waiting on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base to board with Vice President JD Vance, while others were in Zurich preparing to take a shuttle to the venue.
They received a short message from the administration saying the vice president would not leave that evening.
The hotel’s guests had reportedly been quietly asked to leave to make room for the talks.
Journalists already positioned around Burgenstock under tight security then withdrew, while remaining aware that the talks could be rescheduled at any moment.
Iran said Friday that the lack of urgency did not mean talks had been abandoned.
Baqaei said Tehran was planning to hold a meeting in the coming days.
The remarks came after the memorandum of understanding to end the Middle East war was signed electronically.
The Switzerland meeting had been expected to mark the next stage of U.S.-Iran talks, but the digital signing of the MoU reduced the immediate need for the planned in-person session.
Iran’s statement left open the possibility of a meeting soon, while indicating that Tehran did not view the postponed Switzerland talks as urgent after the MoU had already been completed digitally.
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