Iran denies plans to conduct nuclear tests, saying it will retain control of the Strait of Hormuz

Israel’s military said on Tuesday that troops operating in southern Lebanon had killed “two armed terrorists working closely” with the army.

“The army attacked the terrorists in the north of the Security Zone to remove the threat,” said the statement of the Israel Defense Forces.

The “security zone” is an area that stretches about six kilometers into Lebanese territory, covering almost its entire southern border with Israel, where Israeli forces have been occupying for weeks. Israeli officials say troops will remain in Lebanon until the Hezbollah threat is eliminated.

The incident occurred when the Lebanese security forces told the Qatari government-run Al Jazeera network that two people were killed and one was wounded by Israeli soldiers who opened fire on a group of people.

“The IDF will continue to work to eliminate existing threats and will not allow the terrorist organization Hezbollah to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

The conflict between Israel and Iran backed by Hezbollah threatens to derail the agreement between the US and Iran, which calls for an end to military operations on all sides, including, apparently, Lebanon.

Iran’s foreign minister said Monday that the “de-escalation cell” agreed to in Sunday’s first round of US-Iran talks, aimed at de-escalating Lebanon, would be the “first test” of the cooperation memorandum signed by President Trump and his Iranian counterpart last week.

A spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that the start of negotiations on the future of Iran’s nuclear program will depend on the implementation of other points in the cooperation agreement with the US.

“The text of the memorandum clearly states that the beginning of negotiations on these two issues [nuclear program and sanction relief] it depends on the implementation of certain sections of the memorandum,” said spokesman Esmail Baqaei while speaking to reporters in Tehran on state television.

“Currently, we are busy ensuring that all these sections of the agreement are fulfilled as the basic requirements for the negotiations to begin,” he said.

Iran has long insisted refer to the memorandum that calls for a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue to occupy most of the country in their fight against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

Iran’s top negotiator stressed on Tuesday that Tehran intends to retain control of the Strait of Hormuz following talks with the US.

“The Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war conditions and will be managed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law,” said Iranian spokesman Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to Iranian state media.

Qalibaf, who is also the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, made his comments on Monday while returning from Switzerland.

“Hopefully we can re-use the strait, in terms of transit, and bring prosperity back to it [the] regional and global economy,” he said.

At least 35 cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the highest level since the Middle East conflict began in late February, according to data from the Kpler maritime monitoring company.

The 35 passages represent about a third of the normal peacetime traffic, which was about 120 a day through the strait, which usually sees about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments.

The total number of crossings on Monday is expected to rise significantly as the vessels are later found by sea searchers. Ships will sometimes turn off local transponders to pass through the road.

A spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that there is no plan yet to allow inspectors from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency to return to Iran’s nuclear sites that were destroyed by US and Israeli strikes last year, casting doubt on a statement made on Monday by Vice President JD Vance.

“We have never had a meeting with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and we have no plans for the agency to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites damaged by the violence of the US and Zionist forces,” said Esmaeil Baqaei in a press conference.

Vance said Monday that Iran had agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to visit nuclear sites as soon as this week following talks with Tehran’s negotiators.

It is not clear whether Iran would allow tests at other nuclear sites in the country, but the most likely target is Isfahan, which was among those hit last year.

Isfahan is where IAEA officials believe Iran’s stockpile of 900 kilograms of highly enriched uranium is buried under rubble. The material is enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step away from the 90% required to make a nuclear weapon.

Vice President Vance said he did not feel disrespected by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi when he appeared to be leaving a photo op with him on Sunday.

“Trust me, I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with the Iranians in the last few months. Sometimes I find them very confusing as non-negotiators,” he told reporters Monday following hours of meetings with Iranian negotiators and mediators in Switzerland.

Vance said there was “kind of a storm on social media” suggesting the Iranians would walk away from the talks.

“And then we continued to talk to them for like the next nine hours. So I can only encourage the media, don’t trust a little bit what you see coming out of Iranian social media. They can be confusing negotiators, but we feel like we’re making progress,” he said.

Technical talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland have ended, and talks will be held on nuclear issues and Tehran sanctions, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

The negotiators “decided that four working groups will be established: (Iran) Sanctions Deletion, Nuclear Affairs, (Iran) Reconstruction and Economic Development, and Monitoring and Implementation of Agreements (of agreements reached),” state news agency IRNA said, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.