Bombed sites, missing uranium: How Trump’s Iran deal hinges on inspector access
Iran's long record of obstructing the UN's nuclear watchdog raises questions about how much access it would grant in a future deal.
You're reading an excerpt from Al-Monitor Washington, where we break down the latest in US-Middle East diplomacy. To read the full newsletter, sign up here.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is touting the eventual return of nuclear inspectors to Iran as a breakthrough from the first round of talks. The real issue, however, isn’t whether inspectors are allowed back into the country, it’s how much access they’ll have once inside.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Tuesday that Iran had agreed to the “highest level nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!)” in order to achieve “nuclear honesty.”
Iranian officials were quick to push back, saying there were no planned inspections. In a post on X Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said sanctions relief would be a prerequisite for any nuclear oversight.
