U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on the 22nd (local time) that the United States and Iran agreed to resume the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspection team's activities in Iran.
After concluding the first follow-up talks following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war with Iran at the Bürgenstock resort in Lucerne, Switzerland, that day, Vice President Vance held a press conference and said, "Iran agreed to invite the IAEA inspection team back into the country."
Vance, the chief representative of the U.S. negotiating team, said, "This is an important event for the American people and the first step toward permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending Iran's nuclear weapons program."
Vance said the inspection team's activities are scheduled to begin this week and could resume as early as the same day.
He explained that, with Iran accepting IAEA nuclear inspections, technical negotiations to implement the war-ending MOU would continue in Switzerland for several weeks.
This relates to Article 8 of the MOU, which reconfirms that Iran will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons and states that its stockpile of enriched uranium will be handled under a "mutually agreed mechanism," with at least "on-site dilution under IAEA supervision."
Vance also said that the United States and Iran established a "mechanism to keep the Strait of Hormuz open" and "conflict prevention mechanisms" in the region, including Lebanon. He explained that this is a framework that allows the parties to talk over the issue of transit through the Strait of Hormuz and armed clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, a pro-Iran militant faction in Israel and Lebanon.
Vance likened the dispute between Israel and Hezbollah to "a chicken-and-egg question," and gave an example: if lower-level personnel in Hezbollah "launch a drone without approval from the leadership, Israel must respond."
He said that in such situations, even if Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah each claim self-defense and a clash is sparked, a dialogue framework has been set up to prevent the situation from spiraling into "uncontrollable," and that it has already begun to operate.
Vance said that, in line with MOU implementation, if Iran's overseas frozen assets are unlocked, Jared Kushner, the eldest son-in-law of President Donald Trump, has worked out a solution with Qatar to ensure the funds are not used to support terrorism.
He said, "If Iranian assets are unlocked, the process will be subject to approval by the United States and Qatar," adding, "That money will be used to purchase U.S.-grown soybeans, corn, and wheat for the Iranian people."
He added, "That is a very good and classic Trump-style transaction," saying, "It's good for the American people and good for the Iranian people."
Vance assessed that the first round of talks with Iran since the signing of the war-ending MOU proceeded smoothly. He denied reports that the Iranian delegation walked out of the negotiations in protest of President Trump's "threat of attack," saying they were not true.
He said, "Iran did not leave the negotiating room," adding, "Their technical team is still here at this moment, working with our technical team."