Vice President JD Vance said Monday that Iran has agreed to allow international nuclear inspectors back into the country, describing the move as a key result from the first round of U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland.
The claim marks one of the most concrete signs of movement from talks aimed at reducing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, regional fighting and the Strait of Hormuz. But the status of the nuclear track remains contested: Iran’s foreign ministry said earlier that detailed negotiations on the “nuclear issue” had not yet started.
Vance told reporters that inspectors from the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency could resume work in Iran as soon as this week. He called Sunday’s talks a “very, very good day” and said the inspections issue was “probably what we’re most excited about as Americans.”
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei gave a more restrained account, saying there had been only “a very brief discussion” of the nuclear program and no detailed talks. He said the first round lasted about 18 hours, beginning Sunday morning and continuing until early Monday.
Talks expand beyond the nuclear file
The negotiations also covered mechanisms meant to prevent the conflict from widening. Pakistani and Qatari mediators said the United States and Iran agreed to establish a communication line to reduce the risk of incidents or miscommunication in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for commercial shipping.
The U.S. military’s Central Command said Monday that the strait remained open. “Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case,” CENTCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
Mediators also said a deconfliction cell involving Lebanon’s government had been established to help enforce a halt to military operations in Lebanon under a memorandum of understanding signed last week. Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah has been a major obstacle to a broader U.S.-Iran arrangement.
Vance said the past 24 hours had been “probably the most peaceful that we’ve seen” in Lebanon since the war began, and he said talks had produced a process intended to keep incidents from spiraling into broader escalation.
Vance said technical talks with Iran would continue in the “weeks and days to come,” even as he returned to the United States. He said negotiators had made progress but cautioned that “there is still a lot to do.”
Other pieces of the talks remain sensitive. Iran’s Central Bank said there had been “significant progress” on releasing frozen Iranian assets, while CBS reported that U.S. officials have been working with Qatar on a plan to make billions of dollars available for humanitarian purposes under existing restrictions.
For now, the most immediate test is whether IAEA inspectors actually resume work in Iran and whether the new communication channels can reduce the risk of confrontation at sea and in Lebanon. Those steps would help determine whether Monday’s optimism becomes a durable negotiating track or another fragile pause.
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