Tehran denies US claims of infinite nuclear inspections
Despite Tehran’s denial, US President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to conduct nuclear inspections “in perpetuity” and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to purchase humanitarian aid supplies from the US.
Washington agreed to waive sanctions on Iran for 60 days starting Monday, following the first round of talks under a new peace deal agreed last week to end the more than three-month war.
On Tuesday, US Vice President J.D. Vance said talks with Iranian officials in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock laid a good basis for a final deal and that Tehran had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country.
However, Iran denied starting talks about its nuclear program in talks mediated by Qatar and Pakistan and said it did not agree to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back.
Iranian officials did not meet with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Switzerland and have no plans for the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect Iran’s damaged nuclear facilities, State Department spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tuesday.
Trump hit back Tuesday, saying there were “protests and false statements” from Iran.
“Iran has fully agreed to the highest level of Nuclear inspections for the long term (Eternity!!!),” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
He also said that all Iranian assets not frozen under the deal would be placed in an escrow account and used to purchase food and medical supplies from the United States, “including Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans from our great American farmers.”
Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva denied such a deal had been made earlier on Tuesday.
“Iran is the only country that decides what to do with its assets to be frozen, and therefore I reject any claims about whether any other country would have influence on these decisions or processes,” Ali Bahraini told reporters. he said.
The conflicting statements underscored the uncertainty facing efforts to stop a war roiling the Middle East.
The sides on Monday agreed on a mechanism to end the conflict between U.S. ally Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, opening a line of communication to help ensure safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil supplies that has been blockaded by Iran during the war.
In the first of several steps to provide economic aid to Iran, the US Treasury announced that it is granting relief from sanctions until August 21, allowing Tehran to sell and receive payment for oil and related products.
Bahraini said “good progress” had been made in the talks and that two working groups would be established in the coming days to focus on the lifting of sanctions and Iran’s nuclear activities.
He told reporters that five parts of the initial agreement must be fully implemented before negotiations on the nuclear dossier and any role for the IAEA can begin.
The ambassador said Lebanon was a “non-negotiable” part of the interim agreement between the United States and Iran, which included the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.
A ceasefire has been largely in place in southern Lebanon since Sunday, but Lebanon’s Civil Defense and state media reported on Tuesday that Israeli fire killed two people. Hezbollah said the incident violated the ceasefire.
Israel said it would maintain a security zone in southern Lebanon and continue to take action to “neutralize” threats to Israeli soldiers and citizens.
Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.
Israel and Lebanon began a new round of negotiations in Washington on Tuesday; Beirut is determined to continue direct negotiations, although it appears to be overshadowed by Iran’s decision to make Lebanon part of its negotiations with the United States.
Tanker traffic through Hormuz began increasing on Monday, but Iran and Oman suggested in a joint statement that using the strait, whose closure has boosted oil prices and global inflation, could incur some costs.
Oil prices have fallen since the interim agreement was reached; Crude oil prices fell further on Tuesday after falling 3 percent on Monday.
