President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Iran has “fully and completely agreed” to allow nuclear inspectors to return to the country. This mirrors previous statements made by Vice-President J. D. Vance on Monday. The claim has not been confirmed by Tehran.
In the same statement, Trump announced that U.S. naval forces would no longer maintain a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier that morning, Trump had posted on social media that the U.S. would keep ships in the Strait of Hormuz on standby in case it became necessary to reimpose a blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump’s Post on Truth Social
In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “Iran has fully and completely agreed to nuclear-level inspections at the highest level for a very long time (Infinity!!!). This will ensure ‘Nuclear Honesty.'” He also noted that bilateral negotiations “are going well.”
Trump added: “Based on this, and other major concessions being made by Iran, I have agreed to allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain OPEN, with no further Naval Blockade.”
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance. REUTERS/Stringer
Tehran Pushes Back
Iran’s Foreign Ministry had already stated earlier in the day that the Islamic Republic had no intention of allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the nuclear facilities that were struck by Israeli and U.S. forces.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei flatly denied that any meeting had taken place with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. “Nor do we foresee an IAEA inspection of the nuclear facilities that were hit by the American and Zionist military attack,” he said at a press conference in Tehran.
The head of Iran’s negotiating team and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf separately stressed that “Iran will govern” the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, also denied that any such decision had been reached, calling the reports premature. He indicated that these matters belong to the “next phase, in accordance with the agreement protocol signed last week,” and told reporters that “any information on this matter is incorrect.”
