Report: U.S.-Iran Talks Planned for Next Week in Switzerland Have Been Called Off

Talks between the U.S. and Iran, which were supposed to resume next week in Switzerland, have been canceled following the renewed deterioration in relations between the two countries. That was reported today (Sunday) by The Wall Street Journal, citing officials familiar with the details. According to the report, the round of talks, which was set to take place at the technical level in Bürgenstock with the participation of the mediating countries, will not move forward in light of the latest exchange of blows between Washington and Tehran.

The report comes after another day of military clashes between the sides. Overnight, the U.S. military completed a wave of strikes against military targets in Iran, in response to an Iranian drone strike on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Following the strikes, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missiles and unmanned aircraft toward Kuwait and Bahrain, further intensifying regional tensions.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry announced that a damaged vessel was located, and that a Qatari citizen aboard it was killed by shrapnel "as a result of military operations in the area." Another person, a citizen of one of the Arab states, was wounded in the incident and evacuated for medical treatment. His condition is described as stable.

After the exchange of fire, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that Tehran would respond with far greater force if what he described as U.S. violations continue. An Iranian source told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed earlier today that Tehran had sent harsh messages to Washington over the past two days through mediators. According to the source, the latest developments, including the American strikes and the attempt to open an alternative corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, are seen in Iran as a significant threat to the future of the memorandum of understanding between the countries.