Trump Claims Iran Agreed to Nuclear Inspections, Tehran Rejects Assertion

AFP

Iranian Nuclear Facility.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has agreed to extensive nuclear inspections, while Tehran has rejected the assertion, insisting it will not permit international inspectors to visit nuclear facilities damaged during recent US and Israeli strikes.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran had "fully and completely agreed" to the highest level of nuclear inspections for the foreseeable future. He argued that continued negotiations would not have been possible without such an understanding.

Trump also said the United States would retain the ability to reimpose sanctions if necessary, stressing that robust oversight was essential to maintaining the integrity of any nuclear agreement. He warned that if Iran failed to comply, further negotiations would not continue.

The US president added that a broader return to sanctions was unlikely at present, noting that Iranian funds released under Treasury Department arrangements remain in escrow accounts under US supervision. According to Trump, any funds eventually released would be used to purchase American agricultural and medical products, including wheat, corn and soybeans.

He further stated that talks between Washington and Tehran were progressing well.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei disputed Trump's account, saying Iran had neither met with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nor agreed to allow inspectors access to nuclear facilities damaged during what he described as American and Israeli military aggression.

Baghaei's comments directly contradict statements made by Trump and US Vice President J.D. Vance following recent talks between American and Iranian officials in Switzerland. US officials had indicated that the discussions had produced an understanding that would allow the IAEA to visit Iranian nuclear sites.

While IAEA inspectors have continued periodic visits to Iran since the recent conflict between Israel and Iran, they have not been granted access to uranium enrichment facilities targeted by US strikes during the fighting.

Responding to reports that Iran could purchase American agricultural products under a future agreement, Baghaei said Tehran would determine its imports based on "price and quality", without directly addressing Trump's remarks.

He added that it was ironic that a conflict allegedly intended to weaken Iran had now become linked to efforts to support American farmers.


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