Updated June 23, 2026 at 12:09 PM EDT
ISLAMABAD — The U.S. and Iran were in dispute Tuesday over whether Tehran had agreed to allow U.N. inspectors to view bombed Iranian nuclear sites, as officials mediated talks on a permanent end to their war and violence broke out again in Lebanon.
The differing accounts came as Iran's president met with Pakistani officials mediating negotiations and while technical teams were working on details following talks in Switzerland between the U.S. and Iran.
As those talks continued, a break in the shipping bottleneck through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to be in the works.
The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, announced Tuesday that a plan is underway to evacuate 11,000 stranded seafarers through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded before the war.
Earlier in the day, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that U.N. inspectors were not scheduled to examine the nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. last year, refuting comments made a day before by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. In response, President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections long into the future, saying that without this concession "there would be no further negotiations!"
The International Atomic Energy Agency has not responded to requests for comment over its possible role. It 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.
Plan to evacuate stranded seafarers through Strait of Hormuz
The plan to evacuate thousands of seafarers is being done in cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal states in the region, the United States and the maritime industry, according to the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez.
"We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations," he said in a statement.
But the uneasy ceasefire already has been tested by Iran saying it closed the strait again over fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The U.S. has said that negotiators have discussed "mechanisms" to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil transit that Iran effectively blocked during the war, remains open. Ship traffic is increasing but questions remain about who controls the strait.
Data and analytics company Kpler confirmed 39 ships crossed through the strait Monday, after about 92 crossings between Friday and Sunday. Prior to the war, roughly 100 ships a day made the journey.
Iran's president makes his first visit to Islamabad since the war started
Pezeshkian and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday discussed a range of issues, including regional peace and economic cooperation, according to a statement from the presidency in Islamabad.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also joined the delegation that arrived in Islamabad amid tight security.
It was the Iranian president's first visit since the U.S. and Israel launched war on Iran on Feb. 28. Pezeshkian and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were to hold a joint news conference after the discussions.
In the initial talks, marking 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 in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Ahead of his meetings in Pakistan, Pezeshkian cautioned that "the effectiveness of the talks depends on full commitment to the agreed obligations and their precise implementation."
Iran says negotiations focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues and more
Iran suggested that the talks in Switzerland led to the creation of specific negotiation groups, including those focused on sanctions relief, nuclear issues, reconstruction, and monitoring, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
The report quoted Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister leading the technical talks, saying the countries also formed a contact mechanism over ships moving through Hormuz and the fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.
Violence flared again in southern Lebanon Tuesday as Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing two people and coming after two days of calm following a ceasefire brokered on Saturday. Any renewal of heavy fighting could threaten the broader diplomatic talks, since Iran has demanded that a full truce in Lebanon be part of any comprehensive deal.
Israel occupies part of Lebanon and insists it must be able to attack militants launching attacks into northern Israel.
The Israeli military said troops fired at four Hezbollah members who were riding a bulldozer and a motorcycle and had entered a security zone and failed to stop despite warning shots. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the two men were killed next to a bulldozer clearing a road.
No Israeli airstrikes or shelling have been reported since Sunday, a day after a ceasefire was reached, and Hezbollah also has not claimed any attacks in what has been the longest halt in the fighting since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2.
Discrepancy on Iran's use of unfrozen funds
Following the talks in Switzerland, Vance, who helped lead the negotiations, said if Iranian financial assets were unfrozen, they would be used to buy American-grown corn, wheat and soy.
Vance also said the U.S. and Qatar would have approval over the process. However, Iran has no current demand for U.S. crops and its foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that Tehran's decisions on what to import would be based on "prices and quality."
"It is interesting that the philosophy and goal of the war, which was the destruction of the Iranian civilization and the collapse of Iran, has become enriching American farmers," Baghaei said.
Iran's ambassador in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, questioned Vance's contention that the U.S. and Qatar would approve how Iran uses unfrozen funds.
"Iran is the only country who decides what to do with those assets," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, two U.S. aircraft carriers were continuing to operate in the Middle East, the U.S. military's Central Command said.
Netanyahu raises new questions over fragile Lebanon ceasefire
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the "de-confliction cell" would include the Lebanese government and "ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations in Lebanon." But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin said Monday that his military still has "full freedom of action" to thwart any threats.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a signatory to the U.S.-Iran deal. Netanyahu has vowed to keep his forces in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing.
When asked about Netanyahu's comments, Trump said "we're going to take a look at it," adding that the situation would "get solved."
The main highway leading south from Beirut was jammed Tuesday with people displaced from southern Lebanon returning to their homes. Among them was Hawraa Nour El-Din, from the village of Khirbet Selm.
"We don't want the negotiations done by the government," she said. "We want Iran to negotiate on our behalf, and we are returning victorious, whether everyone likes it or not."
In Washington, the State Department said a new round of Israel-Lebanon talks began on Tuesday with both political and security issues on the agenda.
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