US Vice President JD Vance said he expects UN nuclear inspectors to return to Iran as part of a new memorandum of understanding with Tehran, alongside what he described as unrestricted maritime movement in the Strait of Hormuz during a 60-day negotiation period. He said the agreement foresees cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United States to oversee the removal of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, while adding that inspection timelines would be finalized shortly.
Vance insisted there would be no charges on shipping through the waterway during the talks, arguing that traffic had already begun increasing following the easing of restrictions. He said “the Strait of Hormuz will be open” and that implementation was already underway in practice.
Iranian media reported that at least three oil tankers and two cargo vessels had already transited the Strait after what they described as the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports. The movement was presented in Tehran as the first concrete result of the understanding reached with Washington.
US President Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding had been “all signed” electronically and claimed the Strait would be fully open within days. Speaking alongside European leaders, he dismissed reports of financial payments to Iran as “fake news”, while insisting the agreement guarantees that Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon.
