Iran has flatly rejected claims by US Vice-President JD Vance that it will allow nuclear inspectors back into the country, hours after Washington granted a historic 60-day waiver allowing Tehran to sell oil in US dollars for the first time in decades.
Speaking after the first round of US-Iran talks in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock, Vance told reporters that discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could begin “as soon as today”. But Iran’s foreign ministry swiftly pushed back, telling state media it had made “no new commitments” on nuclear inspections.
“Iran denies allowing nuclear inspectors back, contradicting US claims after historic oil sanctions waiver.”
The contradiction deepened on Tuesday when Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the country had no plans to permit inspectors access to nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year. US President Donald Trump countered on social media that despite Iran’s “protestations and false statements to the contrary”, it had “fully and completely agreed” to inspections. “If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!” he wrote.
The dispute erupted against the backdrop of a dramatic shift in US policy. The Treasury’s 60-day sanctions waiver, issued on Monday, dismantles central pillars of a long-running embargo that has historically choked off Iran’s economy. The emergency licence authorises the production, sale and delivery of Iranian crude and petrochemicals until 21 August, and even permits direct imports into the US. It unlocks banking transactions, insurance and transportation, bypassing the complex networks Iran previously used to sell crude.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that in exchange for the waiver, Tehran had committed to keeping the vital Strait of Hormuz open and allowing IAEA nuclear inspectors back into the country. Vance called the talks a “very good foundation”, adding that the teams had also discussed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and “de-confliction for the regional ceasefire”.
A joint statement by mediators Qatar and Pakistan said the US and Iran had agreed “a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days”. But with Tehran now publicly rejecting the core inspection condition, it remains unclear how that roadmap can be followed.