U.S. and Iran at odds over nuclear inspections, Strait of Hormuz fees

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

Iran and the U.S. are once again at odds today, this time over inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran says no deal is in place.

Amna Nawaz:

While, for their part, President Trump and his aid said again today that the U.N. nuclear watchdog will inspect Iran's facilities. It was just one of several disagreements since the weekend meetings in Switzerland between the Americans and Iranians, the first round of negotiations since a new cease-fire deal was struck last week.

Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

Nick Schifrin:

In the Strait of Hormuz today, a new plan to evacuate ships stranded by war. The U.N. and Iran say hundreds of boats, including tankers stuck in the world's most vital oil choke point, will soon have free passage.

But Iran says the ships must register with the new Iranian insurance company, setting the stage for charging future fees in what Iran's chief negotiator called the new postwar order.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Chief Iranian Negotiator (through interpreter):

Everyone should know that the administration of the strait will never return to the way it was before the war.

Nick Schifrin:

But that was just the first example today of the U.S. and Iran's public disagreements.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State: No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway.

Nick Schifrin:

Tehran and Washington also publicly disagreed on access to Iran's nuclear sites. There is no plan to let international inspectors back into the country, said Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Esmaeil Baghaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman (through interpreter):

We have not had a meeting with the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, nor do we have any plans for an agency inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities.

President Donald Trump:

They're wrong. They know they're wrong. They told us inside, and we have it down 100 percent inspections. And if they were right, I'd cancel the meetings right now.

Nick Schifrin:

But President Trump also today acknowledged the inspectors would not arrive any time soon.

Question:

When will those inspectors actually be on the ground?

Donald Trump:

At the appropriate time. At the appropriate time. There's no rush. But they will be on the ground at the appropriate time.

Nick Schifrin:

And on whether Iranian frozen assets could only be used by American agriculture, as Vice President Vance said yesterday:

Vice President J.D. Vance:

If Iranian assets are ever unfrozen, they're going to go to make American farmers richer and to feed the Iranian people.

Ali Bahreini, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations: Iran is the only country who will decide what to do with its assets which are going to be de-frozen.

Nick Schifrin:

There's a he said/he said aspect to these negotiations and an ambiguity about their direction. That perhaps most concerns the U.S.' Gulf allies, who bore the brunt of Iran's wartime assaults.

Tonight, Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in the United Arab Emirates, offering reassurance and urging patience.

Marco Rubio:

All of our allies are on board with peace. Obviously, it all depends on the details of that peace as we work through it. But it's a work in progress. Good groundwork was laid over the last 72 hours, but a lot of work remains to be done. And we want to hear from our partners. We want to make sure that their views are taken into account.

Nick Schifrin:

Iranian officials also engaged in diplomacy today. President Masoud Pezeshkian visited mediator Pakistan, and Iranian officials insisted again any deal must include Lebanon.

In Southern Lebanon today, the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding, allowing many displaced Lebanese to return to their homes, like Tarek Mroueh, coming home for the first time in weeks, his house in Nabatieh wrecked by Israel's assault.

He saves what he can, but the outside and much of the neighborhood is destroyed.

Tarek Mroueh, Nabatieh, Lebanon, Resident (through interpreter):

In the end, we have nowhere else. This is our home, after all. We want to fix it up again and live in it. When the war flares up again, if it flares up again, of course I will naturally take my family to a safe place. But the point is, we now certainly have greater hope that the war will stop.

Nick Schifrin:

There is hope that the war is over, but there's still disagreement over what peace might look like.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.