Iran Rejects U.S. Claim of Agreement on IAEA Nuclear Inspections

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that Iran had agreed to permit International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to return to Iranian nuclear sites, describing the development as a major step toward permanent denuclearisation and announcing that inspections could begin within the week. The statement followed the first round of high‑level talks between the United States and Iran held at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland and was accompanied by U.S. plans to lift temporary sanctions on Iranian oil for 60 days.

Iran’s foreign ministry immediately denied Vance’s claim, stating that Tehran had taken no new obligations regarding nuclear inspections and that no protocol exists for IAEA access to facilities damaged by previous U.S.–Israeli strikes. Iranian officials said discussions on inspector access were “premature” and that the country continued to abide by its non‑proliferation commitments.

President Donald Trump also asserted on social media that Iran had fully accepted the highest‑level nuclear inspections, a position contradicted by Iranian officials. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar have been involved in the negotiations, which aim to conclude a final agreement within 60 days and to reopen the Hormuz Strait for commercial traffic.