Bessent: Iran commits to 'free, open' Hormuz transit, IAEA inspections in talks

WASHINGTON — Iran has committed to allow "free and open" transit in the crucial Strait of Hormuz and the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday, following negotiations between Washington and Tehran over the weekend. Bessent made the remarks in a social media post after the United States and Iran, along with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, held the first round of high-level talks to negotiate a final peace agreement in Switzerland on Sunday following their signing of a preliminary deal last week. "In line with the ongoing productive talks in Switzerland, Iran has committed to free and open transit in the Strait of Hormuz and to permit International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into their country," the secretary wrote on X. He added that the Treasury Department has issued a temporary 60-day general license authorizing the production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil as part of a peace framework with Iran. South Korea and other countries have been closely watching the developments in the negotiat