by MORGAN STEPHENS| Fact Check Team
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WASHINGTON (TNND) — As negotiations continue over a potential new nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran, the Trump administration is signaling that any final deal could look significantly different from the one reached under former President Barack Obama in 2015.
While no final agreement has been signed, officials say discussions have advanced enough to establish a framework for future negotiations. One of the latest developments came Monday, when Vice President JD Vance said Iran has agreed in principle to allow international nuclear inspectors back into the country — a key component of any effort to limit Tehran's nuclear program.
The ongoing talks have also renewed comparisons to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized before withdrawing the United States from the agreement during his first term.
The 2015 JCPOA was a detailed agreement negotiated between Iran, the United States and several world powers. Under the deal, Iran agreed to strict limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Among its provisions, Iran agreed to cap uranium enrichment levels, reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium by roughly 98%, limit the number of operating centrifuges and allow extensive international inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The current Trump administration framework is far less detailed.
Negotiators are still working through several major questions, including what will happen to Iran's existing stockpile of enriched uranium, what restrictions would be placed on future enrichment activities, what sanctions relief could be offered and how compliance would be verified. Trump officials have indicated they are seeking a stricter agreement than the one reached in 2015. One major difference is that some administration officials have suggested Iran should be required to end uranium enrichment entirely, rather than being allowed to enrich uranium at limited levels under international monitoring.
Supporters of a tougher approach argue it would close potential pathways to a nuclear weapon. Critics note that many of the most difficult details remain unresolved and will need to be negotiated in the coming weeks.
A major focus of the current negotiations is the potential return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.
The IAEA serves as the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and is responsible for monitoring nuclear programs around the world. Inspectors play a critical role in verifying whether countries are complying with the terms of nuclear agreements.
According to Vance, Iran has agreed in principle to allow IAEA inspectors back into the country. However, significant questions remain about the extent of that access and whether inspectors would be permitted to visit Iran's most sensitive nuclear facilities. Inspection and verification mechanisms were central to the Obama-era agreement. Under the JCPOA, IAEA inspectors monitored Iran's uranium enrichment activities, stockpiles and nuclear infrastructure.
Supporters of inspections argue they provide independent verification and transparency, helping ensure countries follow through on their commitments. Without inspections, experts say it becomes significantly more difficult to determine whether a nation is complying with a nuclear agreement.
This was the first round of negotiations for the talks happening throughout the week in Switzerland. For now, negotiators still face a long list of unresolved issues.
Beyond inspections, officials must determine how much uranium Iran would be allowed to possess or enrich, what sanctions relief would be offered in return for compliance and what penalties would be imposed if Iran violates the agreement.
While recent announcements suggest progress, experts caution that the framework currently under discussion is only the beginning of what could be a lengthy and complex negotiating process.
Whether the Trump administration ultimately reaches a final agreement — and how that agreement compares to the 2015 nuclear deal — remains one of the biggest foreign policy questions facing Washington and Tehran.
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