U.S. Vice President JD Vance said at a press conference Monday that Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to resume operations in the country. The statement follows a series of Vance remarks this week indicating a nuclear deal is near, including that the emerging MOU would see IAEA help destroy Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance told a press conference Monday that Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to resume operations in the country. The remark confirms a central element of the emerging Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran, which Vance has described in recent days as 'very close.'
As The Zioneer reported earlier Monday (14:21), Vance said he expected an IAEA visit to Iran this week, possibly as soon as today. The latest statement directly attributes the agreement to Tehran, after Vance had previously framed the blow-by-blow negotiations in terms of U.S. expectations. The Vice President has also stated that the IAEA and the U.S. will help destroy Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile under the accord — a point he says is detailed in the MOU.
The confirmation comes amid skepticism from Israeli and U.S. intelligence officials about Iran's compliance, as reported by The Zioneer (June 18) when envoy Steve Witkoff described similar IAEA-access provisions to lawmakers. Israel has been in direct contact with Washington over the deal, which Vance says the region requested, not the United States.
What remains open: The timeline for the IAEA's return and whether the agreement includes all sites, including military ones. Iran's official statements have not yet confirmed the latest Vance remarks; the administration's account has contradicted previous Iranian denials of progress.
2 developments
- StrongVance details IAEA role in US-Iran MOU: inspectors to help destroy enriched uranium stockpile
- StrongUS VP Vance expects IAEA visit to Iran this week as nuclear deal nears
- StrongWitkoff tells US lawmakers Iran will let IAEA access nuclear sites and extract enriched uranium
- DevelopingUS VP Vance says Iran nuclear deal 'very close,' would be long-term
Source and signal
- Internal intake