During talks between the United States and Iran in Switzerland, the Iranian nuclear program was not on the agenda, according to Tehran. Iranian officials involved in the negotiations reported to the state news agency Irna that Iran “did not take on new obligations” regarding this issue.
This statement appears to contradict claims made by US Vice President Jay Dee Vance, although the officials in the Irna report do not directly address his remarks. Vance asserted that Iran would again allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct inspections.
Statements from the US and the IAEA’s position
Granting access to IAEA inspectors was expected to be one of the key outcomes of the talks, which were the first since the US and Iran agreed to cease hostilities. However, the IAEA has yet to confirm this.
A representative of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “Iran continues to cooperate with the IAEA in accordance with existing procedures.” The agency’s inspections have also been conducted under the agreement signed by the two countries in 2015 regarding the Iranian nuclear program.
These inspections nearly halted after President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018. For Trump, the primary goal of negotiations is to restrict the Iranian nuclear program. In a post on Truth Social today, the former president suggested that the resumption of inspections is a foregone conclusion. “Everyone knows well that Iran must agree to inspections of its most important weapons systems,” he wrote.
Source: de Volkskrant