Nuclear Inspections Dispute Clouds US-Iran Race to Finalize War-Ending Deal

The United States and Iran remained at odds Tuesday over whether Tehran had agreed to allow U.N. inspectors access to bombed Iranian nuclear sites, a dispute that cast a shadow over negotiations aimed at ending their five-month war and opening the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping once more.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his team met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad as part of a 60-day diplomatic window agreed in Switzerland last week, while the International Maritime Organization announced a plan to evacuate 11,000 stranded seafarers through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas traded before the conflict began.

The competing accounts over nuclear inspections surfaced as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made his first visit to Islamabad since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran launched on Feb. 28, underscoring the intensity of shuttle diplomacy as both sides work to cement a permanent ceasefire.

Inspections Dispute Clouds Talks

The clash over inspections crystallized Tuesday when Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that U.N. inspectors were not scheduled to examine the nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. last year, directly contradicting comments made a day earlier by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

President Donald Trump responded by posting on social media that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections extending far into the future, warning that without that concession there would be no further negotiations. The International Atomic Energy Agency has not commented on its possible role. The agency has been in and out of Iran since Israel’s 12-day war in 2025 but has not been granted access to bombed enrichment sites.

Araghchi, speaking alongside Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, struck a more calibrated tone, saying the two countries had agreed to a road map for a final agreement and that negotiations would continue through technical working groups. “The effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation,” Araghchi said.

Hormuz Reopening in Sight

Against that diplomatic friction, the International Maritime Organization announced a concrete step toward normalizing commerce. Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement that a plan was underway to evacuate 11,000 stranded seafarers through the strait, coordinated with Iran, Oman, all coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry.

“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” Dominguez said. Data firm Kpler confirmed 39 ships crossed the strait Monday, after roughly 92 crossings between Friday and Sunday. Prior to the war, roughly 100 ships transited daily.

Ship traffic is increasing, but questions remain over who controls the strait. Iran effectively blocked it during the war, and U.S. officials said negotiators have discussed mechanisms to keep it open. One possible flashpoint: Iran said it closed the strait again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lebanon Ceasefire Tested Again

That fighting threatened to unravel the ceasefire brokered Saturday. On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers opened fire in southern Lebanon, killing two people near a bulldozer clearing a road. The Israeli military said troops fired at four Hezbollah members who had entered a security zone and failed to stop despite warning shots.

It was the first deadly incident since the ceasefire took effect, breaking two days of quiet. No Israeli airstrikes or artillery shelling have been reported since Sunday, and Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks — the longest halt in fighting since the Israel-Hezbollah war erupted March 2.

Any renewal of heavy fighting could destabilize the broader diplomatic track. Iran has demanded that a full truce in Lebanon be part of any comprehensive deal. Israel occupies part of Lebanon and has insisted it must retain the right to strike militants launching attacks into northern Israel.

Ahead of his Islamabad meetings, Pezeshkian met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss regional peace and economic cooperation. Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator, and the visit marked the start of a coordinated regional push alongside Pakistan’s own engagement with Washington.

A Fragile 60-Day Window

The talks in Switzerland produced a 14-point memorandum of understanding and committed both sides to a 60-day window to reach a permanent deal. Technical working groups were formed covering sanctions relief, nuclear issues, reconstruction and Hormuz monitoring, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the countries also established a contact mechanism over ships moving through Hormuz and the Lebanon fighting. A de-confliction cell to address Hezbollah-Israel hostilities was agreed as part of the initial framework.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended part of the Switzerland talks but left before the final session, reflecting the delicate balance the Trump administration must strike between sustaining pressure on Tehran and demonstrating enough diplomatic flexibility to keep the process alive. Vance, who led the U.S. negotiating team alongside Rubio, said Iranian financial assets unfrozen as part of any sanctions relief would be used transparently, without specifying the amount.

The gap on inspections, however, exposed how little trust separates the two sides after months of hostilities. Whether technical working groups can bridge that divide before the 60-day clock runs out will determine whether the momentum from Switzerland holds or collapses into renewed confrontation.