Iran says may allow U.S. inspectors from nuclear watchdog if deal reached

Iran may allow U.S. inspectors if a deal is reached, amid ongoing talks on nuclear program.

Iran on Wednesday (May 28, 2025) said it may consider allowing U.S. inspectors with the United Nations nuclear watchdog to inspect its facilities if a deal is reached with the United States.

Iran has long been accused by Western powers of seeking to develop nuclear weapons — a claim Tehran has consistently denied, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful, civilian purposes.

Tehran and Washington have in recent weeks held five rounds of talks focused on the issue — their highest-level contact since the U.S. in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal during Donald Trump's first term.

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"Countries that were hostile to us and behaved unprincipledly over the years — we have always tried not to accept inspectors from those countries," Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami, told reporters, referring to staff from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Tehran "will reconsider accepting American inspectors through the agency" if "an agreement is reached, and Iran's demands are taken into account", he added.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy on Tehran, including by imposing new sanctions on the Islamic republic.