Iran denies agreeing to UN nuclear inspections, Strait of Hormuz evacuation plan underway

The United States and Iran were locked in a dispute Tuesday over whether Tehran had agreed to allow United Nations inspections of its nuclear sites. The disagreement unfolded as officials negotiated a permanent end to the war in Iran, while a separate plan emerged to resolve the shipping bottleneck through the Strait of Hormuz.

The nuclear inspections dispute came as Iran’s president met with Pakistani mediators and technical teams from both the U.S. and Iran continued talks in Switzerland.

UN Agency Plans Evacuation of Stranded Ships and Crews

A United Nations agency said Tuesday that a plan was underway to move stranded ships and their thousands of crew members through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital passage for global energy supplies that Iran had blocked after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28.

Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, told reporters in Tehran that U.N. inspectors were not scheduled to examine nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. last year. His remarks contradicted comments made a day earlier by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Trump Signals Consequences If No Agreement Reached

President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that if Iran had not agreed to inspections, he would cut off talks with Tehran immediately. However, he added that there was no rush for those inspections to begin.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not responded to requests for comment over its possible role. The agency has been in and out of Iran since Israel’s 12-day war in 2025 but has not been granted access to bombed enrichment sites targeted by the U.S.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though the IAEA has stated that Iran possesses highly enriched uranium that could be used to build atomic bombs, should it choose to do so.

Framework for Broader Deal

The U.S. and Iran agreed to a deal last week that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country. The agreement gives each side 60 days to negotiate broader terms.

Plan to Evacuate Stranded Seafarers Through Strait of Hormuz

According to the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, the plan to evacuate 11,000 crew members stranded on ships is being carried out in cooperation with:

• Iran
• Oman
• All other coastal states in the region
• The United States
• The maritime industry

"We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations," Dominguez said in a statement.

The IMO said moving the ships will be done gradually to avoid any risk of collision.

A shipping insurance executive welcomed the development. "That can only be good news for all concerned," said Marcus Baker, global head of marine, cargo and logistics for Marsh in London.

Ceasefire Remains Fragile

The uneasy ceasefire has already been tested. Iran said it closed the strait again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Violence again broke out in Lebanon on Tuesday.

The U.S. has said that negotiators have discussed "mechanisms" to ensure the strait remains open. Ship traffic is increasing but questions remain about who controls the passageway.

Data and analytics company Kpler confirmed that 39 ships crossed through the strait on Monday, following approximately 92 crossings between Friday and Sunday. Before the war, roughly 100 ships a day made the journey.

Two U.S. aircraft carriers continue to operate in the Middle East, according to the U.S. military's Central Command.

Iranian President Makes First Visit to Islamabad Since War

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari discussed a range of issues on Tuesday, including regional peace and economic cooperation, according to a statement from the presidency in Islamabad.

It was the Iranian president’s first visit since the U.S. and Israel launched war on Iran. Speaking at a news conference after their meeting, Pezeshkian said there was no mention of Iran’s missile program in the memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. and Iran.

"If it was not for Iran’s missile capabilities, our country would have been plundered and destroyed," Pezeshkian said, vowing to "never compromise or negotiate our missile capabilities."

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif afterward said he will attend the Tehran funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s opening airstrikes.

Iran Says Negotiations Cover Sanctions Relief, Nuclear Issues, and More

At the start of a 60-day window to reach a permanent deal to end the war, Iran and the U.S. agreed to create a "de-confliction cell" to address the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran said the talks in Switzerland led to the creation of negotiation groups focused on:

• Sanctions relief
• Nuclear issues
• Reconstruction
• Monitoring

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, the report quoted Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister leading the talks, as confirming the creation of these groups.