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US and Iran clash over peace talks narrative

Jun 24, 2026, 7:48am EDT
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A woman walks near a mural depicting the late leader of the Islamic Revolution.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters

Washington and Tehran are battling to shape the narrative around peace talks, with both sides making contradictory claims about the proposed deal.

US President Donald Trump said Iran agreed to full nuclear inspections; Iran said inspectors could not enter the most important sites. Vice President JD Vance said US and Qatari officials would oversee the unfreezing of Iranian assets; Iran denied that too.

Trump likes to announce his preferred outcomes as agreed deals, The New York Times reported, and “the Iranians
 have caught on,” employing their own strategy of “[denying] American statements immediately and publicly.” The contradictions show the two sides “fundamentally disagree with each other and they’re trying to paper over it,” one analyst said.

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