President Trump declared Tuesday that Iran has “fully and completely” agreed to allow international nuclear inspections, but Tehran quickly countered the claim, stating there are “no plans” for inspectors to return to its bombed enrichment sites.
The friction follows remarks by Vice President JD Vance on Monday suggesting United Nations inspectors could return to Iran as early as this week, though Trump noted on Tuesday that there was “no rush.”
Speaking at a rally-style event at a Mack Trucks facility in Pennsylvania, the president claimed the U.S. military pressure had successfully stripped Iran of its advanced weaponry.
“No missile capability, no nuclear program,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re leaving them without any nuclear capacity and they’ve agreed to that. And we’re getting along quite well, although if you read the fake news, you’d never know.”
The president added that the only thing Iran understands “is the hammer,” crediting that approach for the U.S. destruction of Iran’s military capabilities. However, despite the president’s declarations, administration officials are still actively trying to negotiate a deal to handle Iran’s nuclear material, and enriched uranium remains inside Iran.
At the same time, a diplomatic battle is intensifying over control of the region’s most critical shipping lane. Arriving in the United Arab Emirates for a regional tour, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated flatly that Washington would not tolerate Iranian attempts to levy fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” Rubio said Tuesday.
His statement was a direct response to Iran and Oman, which issued a joint statement revealing plans to study the administration of the trade route and charge fees for services, while asserting their own sovereignty over the strait. Iran’s chief negotiator doubled down on Tuesday, telling state media that the Strait of Hormuz will “never return to its pre-war conditions” and confirming that Iran intends to maintain strict control over the waterway.
The dispute comes amid a slight uptick in maritime traffic. Data from the tracking firm Kpler showed that Monday was the busiest day for commercial transits through the strait since the war began, with 35 commercial vessels making the crossing.
While that number is only about a third of pre-war volumes, Kpler noted the data likely misses several ships navigating the strait with their location transponders intentionally turned off. Rubio is scheduled to meet with Gulf allies in the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain this week to coordinate on the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and trade route security.
Back in Washington, the administration faced a rare legislative rebuke over its handling of the conflict. The Senate voted 50 to 48 on Tuesday to pass a House-approved war powers resolution regarding Iran, marking the first time the measure has cleared both chambers of Congress.
The vote succeeded after four Republicans—Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul of Kentucky—voted alongside the majority of Senate Democrats. Conversely, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against the measure, while Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick did not cast votes.
The resolution orders the president to remove U.S. military forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly declares war or passes a specific military authorization. However, because the measure was passed as a concurrent resolution, it does not carry the force of law and does not require President Trump’s signature, making the congressional rebuke purely symbolic.
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