US Vice President JD Vance announced on Monday, 22 June that Iran has agreed to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) back into the country, calling it a pivotal breakthrough in multilateral negotiations aimed at permanently dismantling Tehran's nuclear weapons programme. The announcement came after a fresh round of talks held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, involving the United States, Iran, and regional partners.

What Iran Has Agreed To

“The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country,” Vance told reporters. “That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearising or permanently ending a nuclear weapons programme in Iran.”

Vance indicated that preliminary discussions between Tehran and the IAEA could begin almost immediately. “I expect that will happen at the minimum this week, but we think even some of those conversations with the inspectors and with the IAEA could happen as soon as today,” he said.

Four Objectives on the Table

According to Vance, negotiators arrived in Switzerland with four specific goals: keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping, establishing a mechanism to prevent future escalation in the Gulf, reinforcing regional ceasefire arrangements, and creating a framework for technical negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.

He confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remained open and that a coordination mechanism had been put in place. “So that when there are the conflicts that inevitably come up, we can make sure we work through them rather than that leading to escalation,” he said. Technical teams are expected to continue working on the details of a broader agreement in the coming days and weeks.

Vance framed the outcome in measured terms: “We laid a very good foundation for a successful final deal. The final deal is the house. We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”

Trump’s Threats and Iranian Walkout Warnings

Asked whether President Donald Trump’s public threats against Iran had derailed the negotiations, Vance was direct: “No, they didn’t throw a wrench in the system.” He acknowledged reports that Iranian officials had threatened to walk out of the talks but said negotiations continued well past 1 am on the night in question.

“Yes, they did threaten to walk out, or at least there were social media threats that they would walk out, but we were negotiating well past one in the morning yesterday, so they didn’t walk out, and their technical team is still here in Burgenstock,” he said. Vance added that Iran was reminded that provocative public statements would draw a response from Washington.

Lebanon and the Deconfliction Mechanism

On the question of Lebanon, Vance said negotiators had made “very good progress” in building what he described as a deconfliction mechanism aimed at preventing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah from spiralling into a broader regional war. When asked whether Washington wanted Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, Vance said: “We want Israel’s security to be protected, and we also want Lebanon’s sovereignty to be protected. And this is going to be an ongoing conversation.”

He said the United States remained in active contact with regional partners throughout the talks, including Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Frozen Iranian Assets and What Comes Next

Vance also addressed the question of frozen Iranian assets, saying Washington was determined to ensure that any future release of funds would benefit ordinary Iranians rather than finance militant activity. “We wanted to make sure that we set up a process where if we ever unfreeze Iranian assets, we can ensure that that money, that Iranian money, goes to help the people of Iran and not to fund terrorism,” he said.

With technical teams still on the ground in Burgenstock, the focus now shifts to converting this foundational agreement into a binding final deal — a process Vance acknowledged would require sustained diplomatic effort in the weeks ahead.