US Eases Iran Oil Sanctions, Tehran Denies Inspector
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- US Treasury issued a 60-day emergency licence waiving core sanctions on Iranian crude and petrochemicals, authorising sales in US dollars and direct US imports for the first time in decades, valid until 21 August
- Iran's foreign ministry told state media Tehran made "no new commitments" on nuclear inspectors, directly contradicting Vice-President Vance's claim that IAEA talks could begin "as soon as today"
- Trump posted on social media that Iran "will agree to have Major Weapons Inspections" and warned from the Oval Office the US will "do what I have to do" if Tehran doesn't honour the agreement
- Treasury Secretary Bessent said Iran committed in exchange to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and allowing IAEA inspectors back, though Iran suspended IAEA access after last summer's 12-day war
- Qatari and Pakistani mediators announced a 60-day roadmap to a final deal, plus a "communication line" for safe Strait of Hormuz passage and a US-Iran-Lebanon "de-confliction cell" to end operations in Lebanon
- Vance disclosed Iranian negotiators threatened to walk out on Sunday after Trump's Truth Social warning that the US could "hit Iran very hard again"; Iranian lead negotiators have since left the Swiss talks
Why it matters: Tehran's same-day denial of the inspector concession Bessent and Trump publicly claimed gives Iran a 60-day window to keep selling oil in US dollars while doing nothing verifiable on nuclear access, and if inspectors don't return, the 21 August waiver expires and Trump's explicit "very hard" threat reactivates by default.
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