JD Vance Says Iran Will Allow Nuclear Inspectors Back Into Country

Vice President JD Vance said Iran will allow nuclear inspectors back into the country as U.S.-Iran negotiations continue in Switzerland, with technical discussions expected to continue this week in Switzerland.

Vance told reporters, “Letting in the inspectors is a big deal,” and said the IAEA experts are expected to restart their work “as early as this week.”

Al-Ain Al-Ikhbariyah

The Hill reported that Iran has not confirmed the arrangement, and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran has not taken on new commitments.

The BBC said discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were happening “as soon as today,” and Vance described the nuclear issue as “probably the one we're most excited about as Americans.”

Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan said the parties agreed on a roadmap “towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” and Vance said the talks laid a “very good foundation” for negotiations toward a final settlement.

The BBC reported that the memorandum of understanding includes a commitment to re-opening the strait and the ending the fighting on "all fronts"—including Lebanon, while mediators said a “communication line” was formed for safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Al-Jarida Oman

Vance said the talks also covered “de-confliction for the regional ceasefire,” and the mediators’ joint statement described the creation of a “de-confliction cell” between the US, Iran and Lebanon to end military operations in Lebanon.

The Washington Post said the ceasefire memorandum Trump signed at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday gave the U.S. and Iran 60 days to resolve disputes including over the fate of Iran’s uranium stockpile and the Strait of Hormuz, and it said negotiators stayed past 1 a.m. local time.

The BBC said the initial deal called for fighting to stop on all fronts, but in Lebanon Israeli air strikes have since killed at least 67 people, while attacks by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have killed five Israeli soldiers.

In the backdrop, the U.S. issued a 60-day sanctions waiver on the sale of Iranian oil as traffic increased through the Strait of Hormuz, and The Washington Post said the Treasury Department waived sanctions on Iranian oil for the 60-day ceasefire period.

Vance said on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and that Sunday’s negotiations focused on a “mechanism” for keeping it open, while mediators said a communication line was formed to avoid incidents and miscommunication.

The Hill reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran has not taken on new commitments, and the NBC News account said Iran did not hold any discussions on the nuclear file and has not accepted any new commitments during the 18 hour negotiations.