Mystery surrounds JD Vance's dash to Switzerland as world holds breath for Iranians to confirm peace deal

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT and ELINA SHIRAZI, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 17:35, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 17:56, 18 June 2026 With roughly 24 hours to go before a memorandum of understanding with Iran is scheduled to be signed in Switzerland, Vice President JD Vance threw doubt on whether the historic ceremony will occur.  The MOU outlines an agreement between the US and Iran to begin ceasing hostilities and begin negotiating an end to the three and half month long war.  The agreement, which was signed by Donald Trump at the French palace Versailles sometime around Wednesday evening, immediately lifts sanctions on Iran's oil exports.  It also calls for the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz and the ending of the US Naval blockade of the area.  Trump has said that Vice President JD Vance will oversee the signing ceremony in Lucerne, Switzerland, scheduled for Friday, noting this week 'This way, if it works out, I'm going to take the credit. If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD.' Pressed on whether the trip will still occur on Thursday, Vance told reporters that he 'suspects' he will still go, casting doubt on whether he actually will.  'I plan to go to Switzerland ... we think these technical negotiation areas start sometime this weekend,' Vance said. 'That's still the plan, but that could change because it's not an easy country, Iran, to get out of, and so we're trying to figure out exactly when that's going to happen.' Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on the scheduled signing ceremony for the MOU between Iran and the US, set for Friday in Switzerland  Vance explains that he 'suspects' that the trip is still on, noting how Iran is 'not an easy country' 'I suspect this weekend, but I'm not sure,' he added. 'We're trying to figure that out as we speak, but again, I suspect it will happen this weekend.' There have been mixed signals from the administration over when the MOU was signed and what has been agreed to.  Senior administration officials told reporters on Monday that Trump, Vance and Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signed a digital version of the MOU on Sunday.  Then an Axios report indicated the MOU had actually not been signed.  The senior officials also said Monday the text of the MOU would be published within 48 hours, but a copy of the agreement has not been released. Instead, those senior officials relayed the contents of the MOU to reporters over a phone call.  Then, after signalling publicly that the MOU would be signed in a Friday ceremony with Vance in Switzerland, the administration said that Trump officially signed the MOU at Versailles sometime on Wednesday evening.  Now, Vance says the ceremony is suspected sometime this weekend, indicating the Friday event is up in the air.  'We are told that the Iranians are taking their sweet time to respond, proving further that they are the ones who have the leverage,' a source familiar with the Iran talks explained to the Daily Mail.  Trump said that a signing ceremony was to take place with Vance on Friday, joking that 'This way, if it works out, I'm going to take the credit. If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD'  A reporter pressed Trump, saying one of the goals of Epic Fury was to destroy Iran's ballistic missiles Vance also pushed back on reports indicating that Iran will get money as part of the MOU.  The MOU includes sanction relief for Iran if it complies with the deal, giving it access to frozen funds and a proposed $300 billion reconstruction plan. 'The United States isn’t giving up a cent of money to Iran,' Vance said. 'What President Trump and his talented national security team – including both Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio – achieved on the battlefield and at the negotiating table is nothing short of remarkable and will strengthen American security for years to come,' White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in a statement. 'Everyone is fully behind President Trump’s efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.