Iran and the United States said they made great progress in Switzerland, and mediators from Pakistan and Qatar said the talks produced a roadmap to reach a final deal within 60 days. reports that the agreement arrived alongside fresh rhetoric over the Strait of Hormuz, where both governments are still testing how far each side will go.
JD Vance said in Switzerland on Monday that Iran had agreed to admit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency as talks continue. He called that step "is probably what we’re most excited about as Americans" and said it was "a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do,".
Pakistan and Qatar roadmap
Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar said the parties agreed over the weekend on the 60-day roadmap. The structure gives the negotiations a deadline without spelling out the final terms, which leaves the technical details of inspections, uranium limits and enforcement for the talks themselves.
That sequence followed last week’s move by Iran to lift its effective blockade of Hormuz after agreeing with the US to extend a ceasefire for peace negotiations. On Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared the waterway shut again in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, keeping the Strait of Hormuz at the center of the pressure campaign.
Trump and Ebrahim Azizi
Donald Trump warned Iranian officials that "you close [the strait] and you won’t have a country". He also wrote on Truth Social that Iran would agree to have major weapons inspections in order to ensure "Nuclear Honesty" long into the future.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, answered on social media: "You make threats; we take action," and "The Strait of Hormuz is neither your personal casino nor the backyard of modern-day pirates; these are Iranian sovereign waters, and the ultimate decision rests with the noble people of Iran and their brave armed forces." The exchange shows the talks moving forward while public threats keep running in parallel.
Brent crude and Asia
Markets reacted on Monday as the negotiations advanced. Brent crude futures fell 0.7% to $80.07 a barrel, Japan’s Nikkei climbed 1.8%, Chinese blue chips stocks rose 1.6%, and South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.6%.
For traders, the practical signal is that the talks are already pricing into oil and equities before any final text exists. For negotiators, the next test is whether the 60-day roadmap turns the current inspections language into a deal both sides can sign.
