Vance says Iran will allow nuclear inspectors back into the country

Asked by reporters when nuclear inspectors from the UN's nuclear watchdog would be returning to Iran, Vance said he expected the process to start "at a minimum this week", but conversations with inspectors and the IAEA "could happen as soon as today".The 14-point MOU, signed last week by US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, references to the IAEA, specifically on addressing the country's stockpile of enriched nuclear material.Tehran says it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons, but many countries - as well as the global nuclear watchdog, IAEA have been not convinced.In 2015, Iran and six world powers – the US, China, France, Russia, Germany and the UK – agreed to a nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after years of negotiations.As well as limiting what Iran was permitted to do with its nuclear programme, it allowed the IAEA to access all of Iran's nuclear facilities and to carry out inspections of suspect sites.During Donald Trump's first term, in 2018, he removed the US – which had been a key pillar of the agreement, arguing it was a "bad deal" because it was not permanent and did not address Iran's ballistic missile programme, amongst other things.Iran suspended IAEA access to sites bombed by Israel and the US during the 12-day war in June 2025. The following month, the UN's nuclear watchdog said it had pulled out its remaining inspectors from the country.The Iranian lead negotiators left the talks in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock on Monday, Iranian media said, with technical discussions between the parties due to continue.