Bern, June 22: U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Monday that Iran has agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to return to the country. He described this development as a significant success in efforts to permanently end Iran’s nuclear weapons program and reduce tensions in the Middle East.
After discussions in Bern, Vance told reporters that this step represents one of the greatest achievements in ongoing negotiations between the U.S., Iran, and regional countries.
“Iran has agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country. This is a major step for the American people and the first step towards permanently eliminating Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” Vance stated.
He indicated that talks between Iran and the IAEA could begin soon. “I expect this will start at least this week. We believe discussions with inspectors and the IAEA could commence as early as today,” he added.
The Vice President mentioned that he arrived in Switzerland with four objectives: to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, to establish mechanisms to prevent future tensions in the Gulf region, to strengthen regional ceasefire arrangements, and to create a framework for technical discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
“Yesterday was a very good day. We made substantial progress,” Vance noted. He confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and that negotiating parties have developed a mechanism to prevent future disputes from escalating into major conflicts. “We wanted to create a way to keep the Strait of Hormuz open,” he said.
He emphasized that whenever a dispute arises, it should be resolved through dialogue to avoid escalating tensions. “We did just that yesterday. In the coming days and weeks, technical teams will continue to work on the details of a major agreement.”
“I view this very simply. We have laid a strong foundation for a good final agreement. The final agreement is like a house. We have prepared the foundation, but the house is yet to be built,” he explained.
When asked if recent tough comments from President Donald Trump regarding Iran affected the negotiations, Vance stated that they did not. “There was no interruption in the talks. Although there were reports of Iranian officials threatening to walk away from the discussions, negotiations continued late into the night. We were still talking past 1 AM,” he said.
He added, “We told the Iranians that when you make statements that our generation would call ‘trash talk,’ you cannot expect that the President of the United States will not respond and set the record straight.”
Regarding Lebanon, Vance noted that significant progress has been made in establishing arrangements to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah from escalating into a larger regional war.
When asked if the U.S. wants the Israeli military to withdraw from southern Lebanon, Vance replied, “We want Israel’s security to be maintained while also ensuring Lebanon’s sovereignty is respected. Discussions on this will continue.”
He also mentioned that the U.S. has been in constant contact with regional partners such as Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates during the negotiations.
Vance addressed the issue of Iran’s frozen assets, stating that the U.S. wants to ensure that if Iran’s funds are released in the future, they are used to help the Iranian people, not for any terrorist activities.
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