Iran says won't allow UN inspectors at bombed nuclear sites

Iran said Tuesday that the UN’s nuclear watchdog will not be able to inspect key nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year, as the first round of talks to end the US-Israeli war on Iran wrapped up in Switzerland.

Tehran and Washington have signed a memorandum of understanding to end a war that sowed chaos across the Middle East and rattled the global economy, embarking on a 60-day period to settle broader issues including Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief.

Diplomacy on that final deal ramped up on Tuesday, with Iran’s leader heading to mediator Pakistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio setting off on a tour of Gulf allies, and Lebanon and Israel due for direct talks in Washington.

But Iran denied the claim of US Vice President JD Vance that Tehran had agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back, after Iran blocked them from nuclear sites struck by its arch foes in a 12-day war last year.

“We have not had a meeting with the director general of the IAEA, nor do we have any plans for the agency to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged by the US and Zionist military aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press briefing.

But US President Donald Trump later said Iran had signed off on comprehensive nuclear inspections.

“Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future,” he posted on social media.

When the US joined Israel’s war with Iran in mid-2025, it bombed nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, including with powerful bunker-busting bombs.

The extent of the damage remains unknown despite Trump claiming they were “obliterated”.

Iran’s UN ambassador Ali Bahreini also told reporters Tuesday “there hasn’t been such a decision” to accept IAEA inspectors.

It came as Tehran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the strategic Strait of Hormuz “will never return” to the days of free passage before the war, despite both sides agreeing to set up communication lines to keep it open.

Thirty-five commodity carriers transited the waterway on Monday, a record since the war began, maritime tracking firm Kpler said.

Oman and Iran said in a joint statement Tuesday that they would study the administration of the trade route and the costs to be charged for services provided, insisting on sovereignty over the waterway.