Iran offers to allow nuclear inspectors if sanctions are eased

Iranians walk past a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump along a street in Tehran on Sept. 23. | AFP-Jiji

Bloomberg

Oct 2, 2026

Iran’s foreign minister has suggested in private talks that his country is willing to restore nuclear inspectors’ access to bombed facilities in exchange for sanctions relief, people familiar with the discussions have said — a concession that could help break deadlocked peace talks with the U.S.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised the idea in meetings at the United Nations with European and Middle Eastern diplomats while he was in New York for the annual General Assembly, which ended earlier this week, according to the diplomats, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.

He gave little away about the state of Iran’s economy as a result of both sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz that has choked off its oil exports. But his suggestion to counterparts that Iran would grant nuclear inspectors access in exchange for sanctions relief signals the extent of the country’s economic pain, according to the diplomats.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.