Vice President JD Vance announced Monday that Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country following the first round of direct nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland.
The agreement marks a significant early win for the U.S. delegation, which had made inspector access a top priority for the opening talks. The inspectors are expected to visit Iranian nuclear facilities that were targeted in strikes by U.S. and Israeli forces. The last IAEA inspection of these sites occurred before the conflict began in June 2025.
Vance indicated that coordination among Iran, the United States, and the IAEA for scheduling the visit would begin immediately. "This week, maybe as soon as today," he said, though Iran has not yet publicly confirmed that timeline.
The vice president provided no detail on the scope of access inspectors would receive or which specific sites they would be permitted to examine. The exact parameters of the inspection agreement remain unclear.
Technical negotiations will continue in Switzerland with lower-level delegations after Vance and other senior officials leave the country. Those talks are expected to address outstanding nuclear issues between the two nations.
The breakthrough comes as a surprise given decades of U.S.-Iran tensions over the nuclear program. Both sides appear committed to pursuing further negotiations in the coming days and weeks.
Author James Rodriguez: "Getting Iran to the table and securing inspector access in the first round is no small feat, but the real test is what those inspectors actually see and whether Iran follows through."
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