JD Vance Says Iran Agreed To Allow IAEA Inspectors After 18-Hour Talks: 'Good Foundation For...'

Last Updated:June 22, 2026, 18:16 IST

Iran agrees to allow IAEA inspectors back, US Vice President JD Vance hails a roadmap to a final deal in 60 days, including uranium dilution and regional deconfliction steps

Iran has agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country, US Vice President JD Vance said Monday, following 18 hours of negotiations at Switzerland’s Burgenstock resort that also produced a roadmap for a final deal within 60 days.

“The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country," Vance told reporters at the lakeside resort after Iran’s delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, left the venue. Vance called the development “a major milestone" and the “first step" toward ending Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.

Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said both sides had agreed on “a roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days," with technical talks set to continue for the remainder of the week at Burgenstock.

Vance said the talks had also produced two other outcomes: a mechanism to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and a deconfliction mechanism for the regional ceasefire, primarily targeting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon.

“We laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal," Vance said. “The final deal is the house. We set the foundation, we haven’t built the house."

The Uranium Question

The IAEA’s return to Iran goes to the heart of what the talks were set up to resolve. Before the June 2025 US-Israeli strikes, Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, a level at which only around one percent of the additional enrichment work remains to reach weapons-grade 90 percent material.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had estimated that more than 400 kilograms of that material remained entombed at the damaged nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz, with inspectors shut out since the conflict began.

The initial US goal entering the talks was to secure an agreement from Iran for IAEA inspectors to check its nuclear sites for the first time since the 12-day war in June 2025.

Under the terms of last week’s preliminary memorandum of understanding, Iran is expected to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile by “down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA."

Vance said he expected conversations with inspectors about their return to begin immediately, adding: “I expect that will happen at the minimum this week, but we think even some of those conversations with the inspectors… and with the IAEA could happen as soon as today."

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was present at Burgenstock and had met Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis “to take stock of recent developments regarding Iran, the path ahead and the important role of the IAEA." “At this critical moment, it’s important to give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed," Grossi said.

A Difficult Road to the Table

The talks had a difficult lead-up. They were delayed due to friction over the ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, with Swiss, Qatari, and Pakistani officials mounting urgent interventions to bring both sides back to the table.

Iran had agreed in last week’s MOU to an immediate halt to hostilities, with the broader 60-day track targeting a permanent settlement covering Iran’s missile programmes, nuclear enrichment caps, and a structured end to US sanctions.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei gave permission for the negotiations to proceed, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ political deputy.

But opposition at home was immediate: hardline editor of the Kayhan newspaper Hossein Shariatmadari called on Iran’s team to walk out and “humiliate" US President Donald Trump.

Iran’s central bank governor said Monday that the use of blocked Iranian assets would begin gradually in the coming days, suggesting at least some elements of the MOU’s economic provisions are already moving forward as the 60-day clock runs down.

About the Author

Anoshito Banerjee

Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news...Read More

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