U.S. Vice President: Iran Agrees to Return of IAEA Nuclear Inspectors, Activities to Resume This Week

The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to resume the activities of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspectors within Iran, U.S. Vice President JD Vance announced on June 22 (local time).

Speaking at a press conference following the first follow-up negotiations after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on ending the war with Iran, Vice President Vance said at the Bürgenstock Resort in Lucerne, Switzerland, "Iran has agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into the country."

Vance, who serves as the lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation, emphasized, "This is a significant event for the American people and the first step toward permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending Iran's nuclear weapons program."

The resumption of nuclear inspection activities is scheduled for this week, and Vance added that they could begin as early as today.

Vice President Vance stated that following Iran's acceptance of IAEA nuclear inspections, technical negotiations to implement the MOU on ending the war will continue in Switzerland for several weeks.

He was referring to Article 8 of the MOU, which states that "Iran reaffirms it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons," and that its stockpile of enriched uranium will be handled according to a "mutually agreed-upon mechanism," with the "minimum requirement being dilution on-site under IAEA supervision."

Vice President Vance also announced that a "mechanism to keep the Strait of Hormuz open" and a "de-confliction mechanism" for the region, including Lebanon, have been established with Iran.

He explained that these are dialogue frameworks among the parties involved in conflicts regarding navigation issues in the Strait of Hormuz or armed clashes between Israel and the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Comparing the dispute between Israel and Hezbollah to a "chicken-and-egg problem," Vance provided an example, stating, "If lower-level personnel launch drones without approval from the Hezbollah leadership, Israel must respond."

He said that in such situations, a dialogue framework has been established and is now operational to ensure that even if conflicts are triggered by Israel, Lebanon, or Hezbollah exercising their right to self-defense, they do not escalate into an "uncontrollable" state.

Vice President Vance introduced that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, has devised a solution with Qatar to ensure that even if Iran's frozen overseas assets are released following the implementation of the MOU, the funds will not be used to support terrorism.

"If Iranian assets are released, the process will be subject to approval by the United States and Qatar," he said. "The money will be used to purchase American soybeans, corn, and wheat for the Iranian people."

He emphasized, "It is a very excellent and typical Trump-style deal," adding, "It is good for the American people and good for the Iranian people."

Vice President Vance stated that the first round of negotiations with Iran following the signing of the MOU went smoothly and denied reports that the Iranian delegation had walked out of the negotiating venue due to President Trump's "threats of attack."

"Iran did not leave the negotiating table," he said. "Their technical team is still here at this very moment, working with our technical team."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.