Iran will invite the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin work on identifying enriched material sites, US envoy Steve Witkoff told US officials in a private briefing on Thursday, The Associated Press reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Witkoff clarified that although the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) did not include any “side deals,” a “side letter” had been drafted between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The letter, said Witkoff, extended an invitation to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi and would allow him to bring US nuclear inspectors to Tehran, added AP.
The MoU signed this week between US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials outlines only a general path toward curbing Iran's nuclear activities, with no specific commitments from Tehran other than to discuss nuclear issues in the 60-day window.
Enriched material not to be removed, but diluted
In a leaked version of the text, Washington and Tehran agreed that Iran's enriched nuclear material will not be removed from the country, but rather be diluted inside of Iran under the supervision of the IAEA.
The memorandum also establishes limits on US forces in the region and states that negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program will be conducted during the period following the signing of the agreement.
The final resolution of the MoU is set to be endorsed by a binding resolution made by the UN Security Council.
Reuters, Amichai Stein, and Tobias Holcman contributed to this report.