Iran yesterday said that the UN’s nuclear watchdog would not be able to inspect key nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year, as the first round of talks to end the Middle East war wrapped up in Switzerland.
Tehran and Washington have signed a memorandum of understanding to end a war that sowed chaos across the Middle East and rattled the global economy, embarking on a 60-day period to settle broader issues including Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief.
Diplomacy on that final deal ramped up yesterday, with Iran’s leader heading to mediator Pakistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio setting off on a tour of Gulf allies, and Lebanon and Israel due for direct talks in Washington.
Photo: AP
However, Iran denied the claim of US Vice President J.D. Vance that Tehran had agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back after Iran blocked them from nuclear sites struck by its arch foes in a 12-day war last year.
“We have not had a meeting with the director general of the IAEA, nor do we have any plans for the agency to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged by the US and Zionist military aggression,” Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news conference.
When the US joined Israel’s war with Iran last year, it bombed nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, including with bunker-busting bombs dropped from B-2 stealth bombers. The extent of the damage remains unknown despite US President Donald Trump claiming they were “obliterated.”
Iranian Ambassador to the UN Ali Bahreini also told reporters yesterday “there hasn’t been such a decision” to allow IAEA inspectors into the country.
It came as Tehran’s top negotiator yesterday said that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would not return to the days of free passage before the war, despite both sides agreeing on Monday to set up communication lines to keep the vital trade route open.
“The Strait of Hormuz will never return to its prewar conditions and will be administered by the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law,” Ghalibaf said on his return from the talks, according to the IRNA news agency.
Yet marine traffic through the waterway reached a record level on Monday since the war began, with at least 35 commodity carriers transiting it, according to maritime tracking firm Kpler.
After talks wrapped up in Switzerland, Rubio was to visit the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain — all attacked by Iran during the war — to discuss the deal with Tehran, the Strait of Hormuz and regional security.
The comments of Rubio, an ardent Iran hawk, would be closely watched as he has largely remained out of the spotlight, with Vance taking a lead role in defending the deal.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was yesterday visiting key mediator Pakistan, state media reported.
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