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spanone

(142,258 posts)
Thu Jun 18, 2026, 11:31 PM Jun 18

WTF? Vance delays trip to Switzerland to lead new US talks with Iran on its nuclear program

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance was delaying a trip to Switzerland, where he’d been set to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program — raising questions about what’s next for the tentative agreement to end the war.

The team led by Vance had been ready to leave but was postponing, the White House said, citing difficult logistics for negotiations. The announcement followed a report from Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, that Iran was delaying sending its delegation to Switzerland over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.

Vance, who was initially personally skeptical of the U.S. going to war with Iran, has increasingly become the administration’s face of the conflict and has been outspoken in defending the deal.

Earlier Thursday, he took the relatively unusual step of appearing at the White House to defend the initial deal to extend the ceasefire 60 days and allow for more negotiating — arguing that while it offers concessions, Iran first has to comply with U.S. demands.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-agreement-blockade-oil-vance-trump-888fd5ad6543ed9ec4189e609d7c53b1

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2naSalit

(104,887 posts)
3. Just a 'what if'...
Thu Jun 18, 2026, 11:39 PM
Jun 18

What if -45 is having major health issues during/after his second long flight in days and maybe not functional?

hlthe2b

(115,205 posts)
4. Could be. He couldn't even get his fingers to work to fasten the Medal of Honor onto the recipient
Thu Jun 18, 2026, 11:42 PM
Jun 18

earlier today, and he definitely needed help with the stairs and just walking overseas.

2naSalit

(104,887 posts)
7. He also sounded...
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 12:05 AM
Jun 19

Out of breath at a couple of the events that I saw.

He looks like he's died a couple times already and they keep bringing him back like a Groundhog's Day Frankenstein's monster for repeated weekends at Donnie's.

See how I pretzeled that out?



pat_k

(14,528 posts)
6. Even the "not really a deal" MOU "foundation" for some unspecified future deal is falling apart.
Thu Jun 18, 2026, 11:59 PM
Jun 18

First they rushed the "electronic signing" by the felon and and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian so they could announce that on Wednesday, as the G7 came to a close.

Then they announced J.D. would still be traveling to Switzerland for an official signing ceremony on Friday, 6/19.

Then they announced that since it was already electronically signed, there would be no ceremony in Switzerland, but that J.D. would still be traveling there for critical implementation negotiations.

Now, J.D. is not going.

This against a backdrop in which

President Masoud Pezeshkia's control over the the military arm of the vast IRGC/Basij military, industrial, economic conglomerate is fragile/limited (i.e., the regime's control over the the forces that have remained a threat following the decimation of the Artesh -- the traditional national defense forces -- is in question).

Israel's response to the US-Iranian MOU is "go to hell.


I think the smart money would be on things are falling apart.

How far it has fallen apart will become apparent if the two narrow, coast hugging routes that are "open" today stay open. (The main, central route through the strait is likely off limits for months as they remove mines.)

More in So much for "fully open" by Friday. It could take months to remove mines.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221315121






Volaris

(11,856 posts)
9. Whats going on is he knows how fucked this deal is, and he FINALLY has figured out that its HIS NECK that trumps gonna
Fri Jun 19, 2026, 12:53 AM
Jun 19

hang this shit deal on.
It took him a week to get to where the entire rest of the country is, and it took the rest of us about 15 hours to get there.

Let that really sink in, while he decides he's gonna run for president on it.

This entire administration combined MIGHT pass a high school civics class.

But I'm not placing any bets.

gab13by13

(33,080 posts)
5. The MOU was just a smoke screen to get the price of crude and gas down,
Thu Jun 18, 2026, 11:43 PM
Jun 18

it worked, Krasnov is happy.

Iran isn't showing up on Friday because Israel already violated issue #1 from the MOU, Iran bombed an apartment building in Lebanon.

Krasnov promised Iran that Israel would comply with the MOU, it didn't.

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