Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, disclosed in a closed-door briefing to congressional leaders and national-security committees that Iran will invite the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin locating enriched-material stores. He revealed the existence of a side letter between Tehran and the IAEA, separate from the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, that would allow Director-General Rafael Grossi to bring American nuclear inspectors into the country. The White House did not directly confirm the invitation but stated the agreement requires Iran to provide a written commitment to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Under the memorandum signed this week, a 60-day framework is established for negotiations on curbing Iran’s nuclear programme. US officials familiar with the text say it stipulates that Iran’s stockpile of high-enriched uranium will not be removed but must be diluted domestically under IAEA supervision, and that Iran shall not seek, develop or acquire nuclear weapons. The final resolution is to be endorsed by a binding vote of the UN Security Council. Viewed from Washington, the side letter is presented as a confidence-building mechanism to verify compliance during the negotiation period.

Tehran’s position, as conveyed by state media, reiterates that nuclear weapons have no place in its defence doctrine, while characterising the IAEA invitation as a claim made by the American envoy. However, Iran’s negotiating team suspended its trip to Switzerland, according to Al-Mayadeen, a channel affiliated with Hezbollah, citing continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon. Iranian officials warned that Israeli attacks reaching up to 10 kilometres inside Lebanese territory constitute a clear violation of the memorandum’s first clause, which commits the US and its allies to an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and guarantees Lebanese territorial integrity.

Israeli military officials told Reuters that forces would continue to address threats beyond the declared security zone, releasing a new map that showed deployments deeper into Lebanon, near Nabatieh north of the Litani River. Israel has rejected requests to withdraw from the area it occupied after Hezbollah’s retaliatory strikes in support of Iran. President Trump, posting on Truth Social, demanded a full ceasefire on all fronts and sharply criticised Israel for a strike on Beirut’s Dahieh suburb just before the memorandum was announced, calling it an attack that “should not have happened.” Axios reported Trump was furious with Prime Minister Netanyahu, exposing a rift between the two allies over the timing and scope of military operations.

The memorandum’s implementation now faces an immediate stress test. While the IAEA inspection pathway offers a potential verification track, the alleged violation of the ceasefire clause risks derailing the 60-day negotiation window before it begins. The UN Security Council’s eventual endorsement remains a distant procedural step, contingent on progress in both the nuclear and regional security tracks.