UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday that IAEA inspectors would visit Iranian enrichment sites under a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington.
The United States and Iran have given contradictory accounts about whether the sites would be inspected, but Grossi said the inspections were “going to happen.”
"I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a memorandum of understanding, signed by both presidents," Grossi told journalists at a news conference at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.
He said the agreement explicitly required IAEA supervision of nuclear activities involving Iran’s nuclear material and facilities.
"Obviously, to do that, we will have to inspect. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it's important, but not essential. This is going to happen," he said.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to long-term, high-level nuclear inspections, adding that he would not allow further negotiations without such an agreement.
“Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!). This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Tehran had no plans to allow IAEA inspectors to visit nuclear sites damaged in war.
His comments came a day after US Vice President JD Vance also said Iran had agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into the country, describing it as a first step toward a broader nuclear settlement.
Speaking in Switzerland on Monday, Vance said Washington could agree to release frozen Iranian funds for purchases of US agricultural products such as wheat, corn and soybeans.
"If Iranian assets are ever unfrozen, they're going to go to make American farmers richer and to feed the Iranian people," Vance said.
He said the United States and Qatar would oversee the process, though Iranian officials have disputed that characterization.
Trump made similar remarks on Tuesday, saying money taken out of Iran would go to American farmers to provide “corn, soybeans, wheat to Iran.”
“They have a hunger problem, they have a food problem, they have a medicine problem, they got a lot of problems,” Trump said, adding that inflation in Iran had “hit 300%.”
The remarks sparked widespread reactions from Iran International's viewers, many of whom said the country's struggle cannot be reduced to hunger.
"American officials talk about hunger in Iran as if our problem is a lack of food. Everything exists here. Government policies have made food unaffordable. Sending grain won't solve our problems," one viewer told Iran International.
While many respondents acknowledged the country's worsening economic crisis, they argued that inflation, corruption and decades of mismanagement—not a shortage of food—have made life increasingly difficult.
Others said they have little faith that any economic relief provided to the Islamic Republic would ultimately benefit ordinary citizens.
"Right now the Islamic Republic is probably figuring out how to send that wheat to Lebanon and Iraq," one viewer wrote.
The comment was a reference to the Islamic Republic's long-standing support for regional militant allies and proxy groups. Many respondents argued that Tehran has repeatedly prioritized its regional strategy over the welfare of its own citizens.
Several viewers also objected to what they saw as a portrayal of Iranians as a population waiting to be fed.
"The people of Iran are not hungry. They sacrificed their lives and shed blood for freedom," one respondent said.
Many pointed to the nationwide protests of January 2026, arguing that the movement was driven by demands for freedom and political change rather than economic assistance.
Some referenced the symbolic scene in Abdanan, where protesters threw rice into the air during demonstrations. Videos from the western city showed protesters throwing rice into the air, a gesture many interpreted as a rejection of the idea that their uprising was driven by hunger.
"Mr. Vance, you were not there during those January nights in Abdanan when grains of rice fell from the sky like snow," one citizen wrote.
For many respondents, the image symbolized dignity and defiance. They argued that while many Iranians are struggling economically, the country's crisis is ultimately one of governance and freedom.
They did not deny the depth of economic hardship, but said reducing Iran’s crisis to hunger ignored the political nature of their struggle.
Others stressed that Iran is not a poor country lacking resources.
"Our problem with the Islamic Republic is not only economic. It is a government that opposes human dignity, personal freedoms and Iran's ancient national culture. It is governed by ideology and follows a path separate from the Iranian people," one viewer wrote.
Another respondent was blunter.
"Mr. Vance, Iran is a rich country. If you don't believe me, ask Hezbollah, Hamas, the Popular Mobilization Forces and the Houthis."
The reactions reveal deep skepticism among Iranians who wrote to Iran International toward any agreement that could provide financial relief to the Islamic Republic. For them, the issue is not hunger alone, but freedom, dignity and who ultimately benefits when money flows back into the hands of Tehran.
Residents arriving at bakeries on Tuesday found new official prices in effect following an order issued by Tehran provincial authorities and announced by the Iran Chamber of Guilds' flour and bread working group. Under the new rates, lavash flatbread now costs 27,000 rials (2 cents), yeast-leavened barbari 100,000 rials (6 cents) and sangak 155,000 rials (10 cents).
The average monthly wage in Iran is estimated at around $150. A family relying solely on bread for its food consumption would spend roughly $8-$17 per month, depending on the type of bread purchased.
The increase came only two days after Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh said bread price rises were not under consideration and that the government was pursuing plans to transfer subsidies from bakeries to households through an expanded electronic voucher system.
The latest hike continues a trend that began during the presidency of the late Ebrahim Raisi and has accelerated under President Masoud Pezeshkian. Compared with less than a year ago, official price schedules show sangak prices have risen by 104%, barbari by 85% and lavash by 93%.
Before September 2024, when the US dollar traded at around 600,000 rials on the free market, Lavash cost 5,000 rials ($0.008), while Barbari sold for 18,000 rials (3 cents) and Sangak for 30,000 rials (5 cents).
The increase follows similar price rises elsewhere in the country. Bread prices in West Azarbaijan province rose by 70% to 100% last month, while prices in Mashhad increased by an average of 49% in mid-June. Reports from other provinces have also pointed to either higher bread prices or reductions in dough weights, a practice some consumers and analysts describe as hidden inflation.
Card-based bread system
The latest increase comes as authorities continue to rely on the Nanino digital monitoring platform, introduced in 2022 to distribute subsidized flour based on bakery sales.
Many bakers say technical problems and disputed calculations have reduced their flour allocations. Although authorities insist there are no limits on bread purchases, consumers in many areas report restrictions as bakeries attempt to stretch subsidized flour supplies.
Subsidy cuts spark concern
The Pezeshkian administration has steadily reduced support for wheat and flour subsidies since taking office and is examining plans to integrate bread subsidies into the electronic voucher program, a move that could effectively end the current subsidy structure.
The proposal has generated concern even among media outlets generally supportive of state policies. News website Khabar Online warned that public tolerance for rising prices was wearing thin and that additional pressure linked to a staple as widely consumed as bread could provoke a strong public reaction.
"Public tolerance for price increases has reached its limit, and society may face severe tension and shock from any new pressure, particularly over a product such as bread that is consumed extensively across cities, villages and lower-income households," the outlet wrote.
Bakery owners say they face growing costs for labor, utilities and raw materials while operating under regulated prices and delayed subsidy payments. Economists and labor activists warn that repeated increases in bread prices disproportionately affect low-income families because bread remains a key component of household consumption.
The price rise comes as inflation remains elevated. According to Iran's Statistical Center, consumer prices in May were 83.9% higher than a year earlier, while annual inflation reached 57.7%.
As the government moves ahead with subsidy reforms, the price of bread is increasingly becoming a measure of the economic strain facing millions of families across the country.
