The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to establish four working groups focusing on sanctions termination, nuclear issues, reconstruction, and economic development, following high-level technical talks held in Switzerland. According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who led the Iranian delegation, confirmed that the parties had agreed on the framework and arrangements for future negotiations.
High-Level Committee to Oversee Implementation
Gharibabadi stated that future discussions will be supervised by a High-Level Committee tasked with tracking the two sides' memorandum of understanding. The committee will involve US Vice President JD Vance, Iran's parliamentary speaker and foreign minister, and the prime ministers of Pakistan and Qatar as mediators. Additionally, the agreement includes the creation of 'a contact point' to facilitate the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, and 'a deconfliction cell' regarding the situation in Lebanon.
Financial and Trade Agreements
Arrangements were made for the 'immediate' implementation of agreements concerning the release of $12 billion in blocked Iranian funds. The US also issued a general license for Tehran's sale of oil, petrochemicals, petroleum products, and related services, marking a significant step in economic normalization.
US Senate Votes to Halt Military Action
The development comes as the Republican-majority US Senate on Tuesday voted to halt American military action against Iran, representing a rare bipartisan challenge to President Donald Trump's approach to the conflict. This legislative move underscores growing congressional oversight of executive military decisions.
Conflicting Accounts on Nuclear Inspections
On Tuesday, Washington and Tehran issued sharply conflicting accounts of Iran's nuclear commitments. US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had 'fully and completely agreed' to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back into the country 'long into the future (Infinity!!!)', calling it a breakthrough in ongoing negotiations for a wider peace deal. However, Iran rejected the claim, insisting there had been no agreement and no plans for inspectors to access nuclear facilities damaged during US and Israeli strikes in 2025. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated, '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.' Iran's UN ambassador Ali Bahreini separately dismissed suggestions of any inspection arrangement, reinforcing Tehran's position that access to its nuclear sites remained off the table.
Trump's Social Media Response
Trump, posting on Truth Social, rejected Iran's denial and insisted inspectors would eventually be deployed. He also linked diplomatic progress to developments in maritime security through the Strait of Hormuz, writing, 'Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future.' He added that US naval forces would not impose any blockade on the strategic waterway.
Strait of Hormuz and Maritime Security
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas shipments normally pass, has been a central flashpoint since the war, with disruptions repeatedly raising global energy concerns. Against that backdrop, the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it had begun coordinating a large-scale evacuation of vessels stranded in the Gulf, affecting thousands of seafarers after months of restricted movement during the conflict. The agency said it had started contacting ships to enable safe passage through Hormuz, with safety guarantees secured in coordination with Iran, Oman, and other coastal states. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez described the effort as a 'large-scale operation' carried out with maritime industry coordination to restore navigation through the waterway.
Iran's Stance on Strait of Hormuz
Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz would 'never return to its pre-war conditions', signaling Tehran's intent to retain a direct role in its future administration despite ongoing talks on safe passage arrangements.
Diplomatic Framework and Roadmap
Diplomatic efforts also continued in parallel in Switzerland, where technical negotiations between the two sides were held under a Pakistan- and Qatar-mediated framework aimed at stabilizing the region after more than three months of war. Pakistan and Qatar have said that both sides had agreed on a 60-day roadmap covering nuclear issues, sanctions relief, and wider security guarantees, even as deep mistrust persisted over verification mechanisms.
