Tehran: Iran has rejected assertions by US Vice-President J.D. Vance that Tehran agreed to permit international nuclear inspectors into the country, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei saying Iran’s dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be governed strictly by existing safeguards obligations and domestic law, ANI reported.
Baqaei told state news agency IRNA on Monday, after technical talks in Switzerland, that Iran will deal with the UN nuclear watchdog “in accordance with Iran’s obligations under the Safeguards Agreements” and will follow existing procedures, laws passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and decisions of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Vance, speaking after the Swiss talks, had said Iran had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors into the country and that inspection mechanisms would be strengthened to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Commenting on the negotiations at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, the US vice-president described the first day as “very, very good” and said the discussions “laid the groundwork for a possible final agreement.”
He added: “We laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal,” and, “The final deal is the house… We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”
According to sources familiar with the meetings and quoted by IRNA, Iran did not discuss its nuclear programme during the talks and did not accept any fresh commitments. The sources said any future nuclear dialogue under the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) — aimed at resolving tensions between the US and Iran in West Asia — would hinge on implementing Paragraph 13 of that agreement.
The contrasting versions offered by Washington and Tehran highlight the hurdles that remain as both sides try to move forward with diplomatic efforts on Iran’s nuclear activities, uranium enrichment and wider regional security issues.
