Iran Says It Will Not Let IAEA Inspect Bombed Nuclear Sites

Iran said on Tuesday that it will not, for now, allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit nuclear sites that were struck during the war. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran has no intention at this stage of opening those damaged facilities to IAEA scrutiny, despite recent reports suggesting cooperation with the agency might resume.

The statement directly contradicts comments made on Monday by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who said Tehran had agreed to permit IAEA oversight at its nuclear facilities, a step he described as potentially an initial move toward ending Iran’s nuclear program. Vance also stressed that an agreement remains far off, saying, "We built very good foundations, we have not yet built the house," and adding that there is still much to do on both the nuclear issue and economic matters.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister and lead technical negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, announced the "successful completion" of technical talks involving Iran, the United States, Pakistan and Qatar. He said preparations had been finalized for the next stage of talks at a higher level. The article did not say whether the next round would include the IAEA or when it would take place.