U.S.-Iran Talks Hit a Late Hurdle as Tensions Rise Over Nuclear Inspections and Frozen Assets

The United States and Iran have yet to narrow their differences over nuclear inspections and the handling of frozen assets after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to end the war. U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran agreed to permanently accept the highest level of nuclear inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but Iran pushed back, saying it never accepted any new obligations. If the dispute over the facts drags on, there are concerns that the hard-won peace deal could lose momentum.
■ "100% nuclear inspections" vs. "No such agreement"
On the 23rd local time, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "Iran has agreed to fully accept the highest level of nuclear inspections for a long time, in effect forever," adding, "If they had not agreed, there would have been no deal."
Vice President JD Vance also said at a press conference in Switzerland the previous day that Iran had agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to return, and that their activities were expected to begin sometime this week.
Trump also made the resumption of inspections sound like a foregone conclusion during a visit to Reading Regional Airport in Pennsylvania on the same day. He said, "They will be on the ground at the appropriate time," and pressured Iran by saying, "They are wrong," and "If they are right, I will cancel the meeting immediately." In response, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said, "We never agreed to allow inspections of the damaged nuclear facilities," adding that "cooperation with the IAEA will continue under existing procedures."
Foreign media outlets say neither side's claims fully reflect the actual state of the negotiations. CNN said the IAEA already has limited access, so the entry of inspectors is not a new breakthrough. The New York Times (NYT), meanwhile, cited negotiation sources as saying that expanding the IAEA's access is in fact under discussion.
■ Escalating public messaging battle
The two sides also differ over the handling of frozen assets. Vance said that if Iran's frozen assets are released, they will be used to buy U.S. agricultural products, and Trump also claimed that Washington would control how the funds are spent. But Ali Bahreini, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, dismissed the U.S. position, saying, "Iran has the authority to decide how the frozen assets are used."
The issue of the Strait of Hormuz is no different. Trump claimed at the Group of Seven (G7) summit that the strait would remain open without tolls even after 60 days, but Iran is reportedly continuing to review a plan to impose transit fees.
Experts say both countries are focusing more on managing messages for domestic politics than on the actual negotiations. Susan M. Maloney, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, pointed out that "the fact that the two sides' statements keep diverging shows that many of the key issues have not yet been finalized."
km@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-min Reporter