J.D. Vance Says Iran Agreed to Renew IAEA Inspections After Major Progress in Talks

At a press conference at the Lake Lucerne summit, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Sunday brought significant progress, including Iran’s agreement to let International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors return. He said the day was “very good” and that the United States had achieved “significant progress” toward its goals.

Vance said the first objective was to create a mechanism to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and to coordinate mine-clearing there so future clashes would not escalate. “We did exactly what we wanted to do,” he said, adding that the passage remains open and that the coordination channel was meant to handle inevitable tensions.

He also described a newly announced deconfliction mechanism as part of a regional ceasefire arrangement, saying it was intended to keep communication open if fighting flares, including if Hezbollah fires at Israel or Israel responds. “Every country has the right to self-defense,” he said, while stressing the goal was to stop gunfire and make the region safer for allies and others.

On Iran, Vance said Tehran had agreed to invite back IAEA inspectors, calling it “a significant milestone” and the first step toward permanent nuclear disarmament or a lasting end to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. He added that the fourth goal was launching the technical negotiation process, with U.S., Iranian, Qatari and Pakistani teams continuing work in Bürgenstock over the coming days and weeks, while he returns to the United States.