Iran’s Mohammad Qalibaf Rejects Expanded IAEA Inspections, Says Access Stays Restricted

Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Qalibaf dismissed reports of expanded nuclear inspections as “lies,” saying on July 1 that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors are barred from accessing any bombed or damaged sites “under any circumstances.”

“Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has met United States envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Doha as attempts are made to restart direct talks between Tehran and Washington”

Al Jazeera

Qalibaf said access would remain restricted to just two locations, the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Tehran research reactor, as Tehran signaled it would offer “no concessions” beyond its domestic legal framework.

Al Jazeera

In parallel, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Qaribabadi said part of the $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar would be made available to Tehran in the form of goods, after talks in Doha on July 1.

US Vice President JD Vance said the indirect talks in Doha “are going well,” while warning that if Iran tries to rebuild its nuclear program or resumes shooting at commercial vessels, “the president still has a lot of options on the table.”

Iran and the United States continued indirect technical talks in Doha focused on the release of frozen assets and the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, with Qatar and Pakistan mediating separate meetings.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs and chief negotiator, said in remarks carried by IRNA that during meetings with Qatari officials it was decided that, based on Iran’s declared needs, “the purchase of needed goods would be carried out and made available to Iran.”

CBC

The negotiations also intersected with shipping risk: the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group said in a joint statement that they would continue to designate the Strait of Hormuz as a “warlike operations area.”

Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights, said “Hormuz continues to reopen but it's patchy, unpredictable, and not fully transparent,” as Iranian state media reported a foreign container ship ran aground after entering shallow waters outside the route designated by Iranian authorities.

As indirect talks concluded in Doha, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi announced that the discussions on implementing the memorandum of understanding had ended, with participants agreeing that “a communication channel would be established by tomorrow” to report and record violations.

“What to know about the Iran war today: - President Trump said there was progress Wednesday as U”

CBS News

The same diplomatic track left the nuclear question unresolved in the technical sessions, as sources said negotiators spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and financial incentives for Iran rather than more difficult topics.

Vance said Washington would not commit to avoiding a return to full combat operations, telling reporters “it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do,” and warning that if Iran tries to rebuild its nuclear program or refuses inspections, “the president still has a lot of options on the table.”

The stakes for shipping and enforcement remained immediate, with the joint statement from the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group saying the decision “recognises the continuing and significant risk to life and the rapidly evolving situation in the area.”