Vance says Iran agrees to allow in nuclear inspectors
US Vice President J.D. Vance said talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland provided a “good basis” for an eventual peace agreement despite tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon.
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the two sides, which are trying to build on an interim agreement signed last week, agreed on a roadmap for a permanent deal within 60 days during talks in the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock.
They also agreed on a mechanism to end the conflict in Lebanon between US-allied Israel and pro-Iran Hezbollah and opened a line of communication to help ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the strait, a vital global oil supply route.
Vance said Iran agreed to allow nuclear inspectors, establish mechanisms to handle assets frozen abroad and manage ceasefires.
“We have laid a very good basis for a successful final agreement,” he told reporters after attending the talks.
Since the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities in June last year, Iran has only allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect facilities that were not attacked in those attacks.
The IAEA stopped inspections completely after the US-Israeli attacks that started the war with Iran on February 28, and inspections have not resumed since then.
Vance downplayed tensions on Sunday when US President Donald Trump threatened to restart the war after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again, citing the US’ failure to stop the war in Lebanon.
“There was some threatening and some whining, but at the end of the day the talks continued and we made great progress,” Vance said.
WATCH THE FULL: @VP delivers remarks from the Lake Lucerne Summit in Switzerland pic.twitter.com/DTtkkb4ggy — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 22, 2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on social media that Iran provided exemptions for oil and petrochemical exports, some of its frozen assets abroad were released, and a reconstruction and development plan for Iran was launched.
Vance said Trump’s son-in-law, White House envoy Jared Kushner, had devised a process that would give the United States and Qatar control over Iranian funds if they were not frozen, allowing the money to be spent on U.S. corn, soybeans and wheat.
The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, set out from Switzerland for Tehran after 18 hours of intense, high-level diplomatic consultations and strategic negotiations. #Iran #Diplomacy #Switzerland@araghchi @mb_ghalibaf https://t.co/nwVlxVBUbQ pic.twitter.com/EU42QeeWit — Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (@Iran_GOV) June 22, 2026
Following an interim agreement, or memorandum of understanding, last week, the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday issued a general license for Iran allowing the production, delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil and petrochemical and petroleum products through Aug. 21.
Technical talks were scheduled to continue for the rest of this week, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote in X that the first round of talks “concluded successfully.”
“The talks took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere and encouraging progress was made,” he said.
