Nuclear site inspections will take place, but the timing is “not necessary,” an IAEA official said

Iran’s top negotiator called the deal with the US “a declaration of defeat for America” ​​on Wednesday.

“Islamabad’s understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but it was the result of resistance to the authority of the brave Iranian nation,” said Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday about the agreement signed last week.

“That’s why, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was a declaration of defeat for America,” he said, adding that security in the Middle East must be guaranteed by countries in the region.

President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the accord last week, setting in motion a 60-day negotiation period during which Pakistanis and other mediators hope to bring the two sides to an agreement to end the war.

The head of the UN nuclear agency signed on Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities will be visited by his inspectors, a key part of the interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the conflict.

The comments of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, were the least strong of the United Nations, which is considered the key to determining the status of Iran’s nuclear arsenal.

The US and Iran offered conflicting comments on Tuesday over whether to inspect those sites.

“I understand political statements, they are part of the truth, but the main thing I would like to remind you (of) and pay attention to is that there was a Cooperation Agreement, signed by both presidents,” Grossi told reporters at a press conference from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was hit by the tsunami in Japan.

The agreement “clearly states that the nuclear activities to be carried out in relation to nuclear facilities will be monitored by the IAEA – in every letter,” he said.

Grossi added: “Obviously, to do that, we have to check. Whether this happens the next day or in one week or in ten days, it’s important, but it’s not important. This will happen.”

That test is key to the deal, which calls for Iran’s stockpile of uranium to be “degraded” from highly enriched levels.

Rubio arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and was scheduled to hold closed-door talks with its leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, before flying to Kuwait and Bahrain, where he will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Rubio said he intends to discuss the US-Iran memorandum of understanding with gulf leaders, not to mention Iran’s missile program and proxies.

He insisted that no country was allowed to toll the Strait of Hormuz after Oman and Iran, which border the waterway, said they were considering imposing “tolls” for transit through the key oil and gas outlet.

“It’s an international waterway,” he said when he arrived in Abu Dhabi, repeating the US position throughout the war.

“No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on international waterways. That is the existing international law.”

The Senate on Tuesday approved a House-passed resolution on Iran, marking the first time such action has been taken by both chambers and reflecting unusual criticism of President Trump’s handling of the conflict.

In a 50 to 48 vote, four Republicans — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined dozens of Senate Democrats in supporting the measure. One of the Democratic Alliance, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, opposed. Two Republicans – Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick – did not vote.

The resolution directs the president to “withdraw United States Forces from the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force. But the measure is a one-time, non-constitutional decision that does not require the president’s signature, meaning it is symbolic.

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President Trump said earlier Wednesday that consumers are being “shortchanged” because gasoline prices aren’t falling as quickly as crude oil prices have on global markets — and he’s told the Justice Department to launch an investigation.

Speaking on his Truth Social forum he said, “The big oil companies are not lowering their prices at the pump to match the very low prices they are paying Oil. Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being ‘screwed.’ I have directed the DOJ to immediately begin looking into this. Gasoline prices are starting to drop faster than I can see!”

Oil prices skyrocketed when the Iran war started and gas prices followed. But while crude prices have fallen sharply since a temporary ceasefire was reached, the decline in gas prices has not been as rapid. Gas prices generally tend to go down rather than up in relation to the cost of oil.