JD Vance says progress made in peace talks with Iran

This article appeared as part of the Daily Sensemaker newsletter – one story a day to make sense of the world. To receive it in your inbox, featuring content exclusive to the newsletter, sign up for free here.

The US has eased some sanctions on Iran after vice president JD Vance said that Geneva talks had laid a “good foundation for a successful final deal” and claimed that Tehran had agreed to allow UN nuclear inspectors back into the country. Tehran has rejected Vance’s claim, saying its interactions with the UN nuclear watchdog are based on “safeguards agreements” rather than any new arrangement reached in Geneva. The discussions got off to a rocky start. The Iranian delegation temporarily walked out after Trump threatened to “blow the shit” out of their country. Iran also declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again in response to continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Yet there are signs of tentative progress, even if the talks focused on ensuring Israeli compliance with the ceasefire and restarting oil shipping in the Gulf. It remains to be seen whether the two countries can reach an agreement on more substantive issues, particularly Iran’s nuclear programme.