JD Vance Says Iran Has Agreed To Resume IAEA Nuclear Inspections ‘This Week’, Iran Calls It Premature
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) back into the country to inspect its nuclear sites and material. “We have made a lot of great progress on nuclear talks,” Vance said.
Calling it “probably what we’re most excited about as Americans,” Vance described it as a “very, very good day.” He said, “That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearising or permanently ending a nuclear weapons programme in Iran.” Vance added that he expected IAEA inspections which were carried out for years under the previous JCPOA nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration to resume “as soon as this week.”
‘Four Objectives Achieved In Talks’: Vance
Vance said four objectives had been achieved in the talks so far: securing access for IAEA nuclear inspectors, building a mechanism to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, establishing a mechanism for “deconfliction for the regional ceasefire” in Lebanon, and advancing a process for future negotiations. Speaking to reporters in Switzerland, Vance said that while he would be returning to the US, technical talks with Iran would continue “over the weeks and days to come.” “We laid a very good foundation for a successful, final deal,” he said, adding, “There is still a lot to do.”
Vance touted “good progress” in the first round of direct talks between the US and Iran, and called the preceding 24 hours “probably the most peaceful that we’ve seen” in Lebanon since the war began. Israel’s conflict with Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon has derailed peace efforts on several previous occasions.
US-Iran War And Israel-Hezbollah Fight A ‘Bit Of A Chicken-And-Egg Problem’
Vance described the US-Iran war and the Israel-Hezbollah fighting as “a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem,” and suggested some strikes may have been ordered by a “junior guy who fires a drone that didn’t have approval from the high command.” He said Israel and every other nation has the right to self-defence, but that if the conflict spirals out of control, that outcome is worse for everybody’s security.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also reported “good progress” from Sunday’s first round of talks. However, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei struck a more cautious note, telling reporters there had been only “a very brief discussion” on the nuclear programme. “There was no discussion of details, and it cannot be said that negotiations on the nuclear issue have begun,” he said.
US Treasury Clears Iran To Sell Its Oil On Global Markets Through August
Separately on Monday, the US Treasury cleared Iran to resume selling its oil and gas. The Treasury confirmed it was waiving all existing US sanctions on “the Production, Delivery and Sale of Crude Oil, Petrochemical Products, and Petroleum Products of Iranian-Origin through August 21, 2026.” Iran’s oil and gas sales had been heavily sanctioned by the US since President Donald Trump launched his “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran after unilaterally withdrawing the US from the previous nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration. The lifting of sanctions is expected to give Iran a substantial financial boost.