TEHRAN (Realist English). Just days after the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, the parties have again found themselves at the center of an information war.
US President Donald Trump insists that Tehran made unprecedented concessions on the nuclear front, while Iranian officials categorically deny these claims, stressing that no new commitments were made.
‘Perpetual’ Inspections and ‘Nuclear Honesty’
On June 23, Donald Trump made a sensational statement on his Truth Social platform: “Iran has fully and completely agreed to the highest level of nuclear inspections for the long term (Forever!!!)” According to the president, this will ensure “nuclear honesty,” and without this agreement “there would have been no further negotiations.”
A similar statement was made a day earlier by Vice President JD Vance, who called Iran’s agreement to allow IAEA inspectors an “important milestone” and the first step toward “complete denuclearisation” of Iran. Vance claimed inspectors would be able to visit Iran as early as this week.
Trump also announced that unfrozen Iranian assets would remain under US control and be used exclusively for the purchase of food and medicine from American producers, including corn, wheat and soybeans. “These funds will be controlled by the US and used for the purchase of food and medicine exclusively from the United States,” the president wrote.
At the same time, the US president confirmed that US warships would remain in the Strait of Hormuz area in case the blockade needed to be reinstated.
Iran: ‘No New Commitments’
Tehran’s response was immediate and categorical. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, at a press conference on June 23, refuted all American claims.
“We have not held meetings with the IAEA director general and do not plan inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged by US and Zionist military aggression,” Baghaei said. He stressed that Iran did not conduct negotiations on the nuclear programme and did not agree to any new commitments. Nuclear issues, according to the Iranian diplomat, were not part of the agenda at this stage.
Baghaei also rejected claims that unfrozen assets would be spent under US control: “Regarding Iran’s unfrozen assets, we ourselves will decide how to use them; in this regard, there are NO restrictions.”
He commented ironically on Washington’s attempts to present the deal as aid to the Iranian people: “It is interesting that the philosophy and purpose of the war, which was to destroy Iranian civilisation and bring about Iran’s collapse, has turned into enriching American farmers.”
Disagreements Cast Doubt on Future of Talks
The contradictions between Washington and Tehran’s statements came amid ongoing talks in Switzerland, where the parties, with Pakistan and Qatar acting as mediators, are conducting 60‑day consultations on a final agreement.
As CNN notes, the problem is that the key concessions claimed by the Trump administration were not spelled out in the memorandum of understanding published last week. Moreover, the IAEA already has limited access to Iran, so the permission for inspections in itself is not a significant breakthrough.
Despite Tehran’s denials, Trump continues to insist. “They are wrong, they are wrong,” he told journalists, commenting on the Iranian statements. “We have it in writing: 100% inspections. And if they were right, I would cancel the meetings right now.”
US officials, however, acknowledge that the agreement is “performance‑based”: if talks are not productive, Iran will receive no benefits.
The disagreements on key issues call into question the possibility of reaching a comprehensive agreement within the allotted 60 days, highlighting the deep mistrust between the parties that persists even after the signing of the preliminary memorandum.
