Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon after an escalation in fighting there jeopardised the chances of an interim agreement on ending the war in Iran turning into a lasting Middle East peace deal.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is travelling to Switzerland for the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal, Axios reported on Friday, citing a US official.
The development comes a day after Vice President JD Vance cancelled plans to attend the talks, which were called off amid the renewed fighting in Lebanon. That escalation has raised fresh uncertainty over the fate of negotiations critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping.
Trump told NBC News he had spoken with Israel and asked it to agree to the ceasefire.
"You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head," Trump was quoted as saying by an NBC reporter on X, who added the president had declined to specify whether he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly.
A senior US official said the ceasefire came into effect around 4pm Lebanon time following an exchange of fire, adding that negotiators for the US and Qataris had worked out the agreement with help from Iran.
Two sources from Iran-aligned Hezbollah and a senior Israeli official confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters.
Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes after midnight into Friday had killed 47 people and wounded 97, while the Israeli military said four soldiers had been killed in an incident in Lebanon, without giving further details.
The conflict in Lebanon could weigh on negotiations because ending fighting there is a condition for the broader US-Iran accord.
A memorandum of understanding signed this week by the Iranian and US presidents left discussion of Iran's nuclear program and other tough issues until later, giving the sides 60 days to reach a lasting agreement or extend the interim deal.
Preparations for technical talks to start in the Swiss mountaintop resort of Buergenstock were far advanced when the White House said on Thursday that Vance would not attend.
The Swiss foreign ministry said the talks had been postponed and Switzerland remained ready to facilitate them and the relevant preparatory work was continuing.
The broad interim deal requires the United States, Iran and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Israel, left out of the talks, says it is not party to the deal.
Lebanon was sucked into the regional war when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2, prompting Israel to launch an offensive against the group and invade the south of the country.
The Iran war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli air attacks on Iran, has killed at least 7000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. It also pushed up energy prices, stoking inflation worldwide.
Trump again defended the deal after criticism in Washington, including from some of his Republican allies in Congress who question whether he conceded too much to end a war unpopular with most Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.
"The War has diminished Iran!" he wrote in social media posts on Friday, adding: "We didn't meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We'll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!"