Within hours of the first high-level US-Iran negotiations concluding in Switzerland, a sharp divergence emerged between the two sides over what was actually agreed. Tehran moved swiftly to contradict statements made by US Vice President JD Vance, prompting a rebuke from President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Trump took to Truth Social to dismiss what he called Tehran's "false statements" on unresolved issues, including nuclear watchdog inspections, the unfreezing of funds, and the management of the Strait of Hormuz. "Despite their protestations and false statements to the contrary... Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level nuclear inspections long into the future (infinity!!!)," Trump wrote, adding that this would ensure "nuclear honesty." He warned that without such agreement, "there would be no further negotiations."
Iran’s leadership, however, offered a starkly different account. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that no visits have been scheduled for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to examine Iranian nuclear sites bombed by the US last June. "Iran has no plans to allow IAEA inspectors to enter nuclear sites that were damaged during the war," Baghaei said, adding that Tehran made "no new commitments" on nuclear materials—a key long-term demand from Washington.
The disagreement extends beyond inspections. Iran’s chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, contradicted Vance’s claim that "no money is being released to Iran." Ghalibaf announced on Tuesday that Tehran had obtained the immediate release of $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets in two $6 billion tranches through Qatar’s mediation. Iran also stated it would decide how to use the funds "with no restrictions on how they can be spent."
Trump countered this in his social media post, asserting that the money "goes into escrow, controlled by the USA, and will be used for the purchase of food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States." He framed this as a humanitarian gesture, saying, "These are things that are desperately needed by Iran. This is a humanitarian crisis, and I feel it is necessary to help, now, before it is too late."
Strait of Hormuz: A New Bilateral Arrangement
On the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil shipments, the two sides also diverged. While US negotiators discussed "mechanisms" to keep the strait open, Ghalibaf declared that "management of the Strait of Hormuz will never return to the way it was before the war." He and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman in Muscat on Tuesday to discuss "joint management" of the strait. After the meeting, Ghalibaf announced that Tehran and Muscat have formed a committee to administer the waterway, sidelining the US role.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, added that "the main talks on the Strait of Hormuz will be between Iran and Oman, followed by parallel discussions with the parties to the MOU." This suggests a shift toward bilateral management, a move that could have significant implications for European energy security, given the strait’s role in oil transit.
Despite these tensions, both sides have begun implementing the recently agreed memorandum of understanding, establishing a joint oversight mechanism and four specialised working groups. The 60-day diplomatic process aims to reach a permanent deal, but the immediate contradictions underscore the fragility of the agreement. For European observers, the outcome of these negotiations will directly affect energy markets and regional stability, particularly as the EU seeks to diversify its energy sources away from Russian supplies.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, traveling to mediator Pakistan, warned that progress would depend on the "precise implementation" of commitments by all parties. He cautioned against interpretations that go beyond the agreed text, a clear reference to Washington’s expansive reading of the deal. As the diplomatic clock ticks, the gap between US and Iranian narratives remains wide, with European capitals watching closely for any signs of a breakthrough or breakdown.
