Washington and Tehran split on UN nuclear site inspections amid ongoing talks

The United States and Iran are locked in a dispute over whether Tehran has committed to United Nations inspections of its nuclear facilities, as wider negotiations aimed at ending the long-running conflict move forward on several fronts.

Diplomatic efforts include meetings between Iran's president and Pakistani mediators, while technical delegations from Washington and Tehran hold separate discussions in Switzerland. Those talks form part of broader efforts to reach a lasting settlement to the standoff.

Parallel discussions are also under way on a plan to ease a growing backlog of vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is a critical corridor for global energy shipments and has faced severe disruption since Iran restricted traffic following military strikes by the United States and Israel earlier this year.

Despite progress on some issues, the two sides remain sharply at odds over nuclear monitoring. Iran's foreign ministry said United Nations inspectors are not scheduled to visit any nuclear sites that American forces struck last year.

That position runs counter to remarks from United States Vice President JD Vance, who had indicated that such inspections were anticipated. The conflicting statements underscore how nuclear verification continues to be one of the most sensitive obstacles in the negotiations.