IAEA Chief Confirms Access to Iran Nuclear Sites Under Interim US-Iran Peace Deal

The U.S. and Iran's interim peace agreement gives inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog access to the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

His comments come shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed to allow nuclear inspections, despite Iran insisting that there were no new plans for U.N. inspectors to visit sites damaged in U.S. and Israeli strikes.

"There is a bit of a war of statements here," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said at a news conference in Japan on Friday.

"What is undeniable is that we have an MOU. This MOU specifically indicates that the nuclear part of the memorandum will be supervised. This is the word, will be supervised by the IAEA. In order to supervise, we need to inspect. There is no other way," Grossi said.

"The technical work has started, and we hope to be there soon," he added.

The U.S. and Iran signed an interim peace deal last week to bring the Middle East conflict to an end, although Washington and Tehran have continued to clash over some of the details of the 14-point memorandum of understanding.

Under the memorandum, both sides agreed to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz toll-free for at least 60 days and to end all hostilities, including in Lebanon, where fighting has persisted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A separate U.N. agency, the International Maritime Organization, paused its efforts to evacuate ships and seafarers stranded inside the Middle East Gulf after a vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

Critics of Trump's interim peace deal and the contents of the MOU have questioned whether this outcome was worth nearly four months of war. It has also invited comparisons to former U.S. President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Tehran.

Trump scrapped the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was agreed to in 2015 under the Obama administration during his first term in office, calling it "an embarrassment" to him as a U.S. citizen.

Speaking to ABC News in an interview earlier in the month, ahead of the interim deal being announced, Obama said he was "doubtful" any agreement with Iran put forward by the Trump administration would be "significantly different" from the JCPOA.

Trump has since lashed out at critics of the MOU, saying those who think he hasn't been tough enough on Tehran were either "jealous, bad people or stupid."