Vance: Nuclear inspectors to return to Iran under peace deal

US Vice President JD Vance confirmed on Monday that international nuclear inspectors will return to Iran as a central component of the new agreement between Washington and Tehran. “Nuclear inspectors are to be allowed back into Iran as part of the deal with the US,” Vance told NBC News. He said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United States will assist Iran in destroying its highly enriched uranium stockpile, noting that this requirement is “spelled out very clearly” in the memorandum of understanding (MOU). Approximately 1,000 pounds (453.6 kilograms) of enriched uranium is reportedly trapped under debris from sites targeted during the US-Israeli offensive last June.

Framework and technical details

Vance acknowledged that the MOU is only “about a page and a half, so it is a very general document.” He told CNN that key details will be determined during the technical negotiation phase. “On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase, but what the MOU does is set up a framework whereby the Iranians get the benefits of the bargain by meeting their obligations under the bargain,” he said. A US official said all agreement details would be released within 24 to 48 hours, with technical discussions launching later this week.

No sanctions relief yet

Asked whether the agreement includes provisions for unfreezing Iranian assets or providing sanctions relief, Vance said no such measures have been implemented. “There hasn’t been a single dollar of sanctions relief or unfrozen assets, either from the United States or any of our allies in the Gulf,” he said. He outlined two potential paths for Iran: continued economic sanctions, or verifiable compliance leading to a transformation of the region.