U.S. President Donald Trump stated on June 23 (local time) that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors will be deployed to sites related to Iran's nuclear facilities at the appropriate time.

Even as Iran denies the U.S. announcement that it has accepted IAEA nuclear inspections, President Trump treated the resumption of inspections as a fait accompli, repeatedly refuting the Iranian position.

Speaking to reporters at Reading Regional Airport in Pennsylvania, where he arrived for a scheduled event, President Trump said regarding the timing of the IAEA inspectors' visit to Iran, "They will be there at the right time."

Regarding Iran's claim that there are no plans for IAEA inspections, he said, "They are wrong," adding, "If they were right, I would cancel the meeting right now."

This is interpreted as a warning that if Iran refuses IAEA inspections, the negotiations themselves could be jeopardized, especially as the two countries agreed to continue follow-up working-level talks following their first high-level meeting since the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Switzerland last weekend.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance announced in a briefing the previous day that "Iran has agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into the country," with the inspectors' activities scheduled to begin sometime this week.

However, Iran is presenting a position contrary to that of the U.S., stating that it has not accepted any new obligations regarding its nuclear program.

On this day, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that reports claiming Iran had accepted IAEA inspections of nuclear facilities previously struck by U.S. airstrikes were untrue, adding, "Whether to resume inspections will be decided based on the future (end-of-war) negotiation process and its results."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)