President Donald Trump is set to meet top defense contractor executives, according to a report, as his administration pursues a preliminary agreement with Iran that U.S. officials say could lead to a broader deal within 60 days. Vice President JD Vance said Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country, calling it a key step in negotiations after a first round of talks that mediators said produced a roadmap toward a final settlement. The preliminary memorandum of understanding signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also includes commitments tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending fighting on multiple fronts.
Vance said discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency could begin immediately and that the return of inspectors was expected to start this week at the latest. He described the nuclear component of the talks as a major milestone and said negotiators had also addressed safe commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz and mechanisms for regional de-confliction, including Lebanon. Mediators Qatar and Pakistan said a communication line had been established to reduce risks of miscalculation and support maritime traffic, while Iran's foreign minister said the Lebanon de-confliction effort would be an early test of the broader arrangement.
The emerging framework differs in important ways from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated under President Barack Obama. The current memorandum pairs Iran's pledge not to procure or develop nuclear weapons with sanctions relief and a proposed $300 billion reconstruction and economic development plan involving regional partners. It also addresses the Strait of Hormuz, which was not part of the 2015 accord, and appears aimed at permanent restrictions, although key details such as whether Iran will be permitted to enrich uranium and under what terms remain unresolved. By contrast, the Obama-era deal imposed specific limits on enrichment and inspections but allowed Iran to retain a monitored civilian nuclear program and included expiration dates for some restrictions.
Supporters of the current talks argue that renewed inspections, a defined 60-day negotiating track and provisions on maritime security and ceasefire management could create a broader and more durable settlement than earlier diplomacy. Critics, however, contend that past negotiations with Tehran failed to stop Iran's nuclear advances and argue that Iranian leaders have used engagement to gain concessions while preserving core capabilities. One critical assessment says earlier U.S. strategies, including the 2015 deal and later sanctions campaigns, did not prevent Iran's progress and that military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in 2025 were the only measures that produced decisive results. Iran, for its part, has long maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.
The current talks are unfolding after a period of war and sharp regional disruption. Iran suspended IAEA access to sites hit during the June 2025 conflict, and the agency later withdrew its remaining inspectors from the country. Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in 2018 during his first term, calling it a bad deal, and reimposed sanctions under a maximum pressure campaign. The new memorandum, signed nearly four months after U.S. and Israeli strikes aimed at Iran's nuclear capabilities, now serves as the basis for efforts to convert a preliminary ceasefire-and-nuclear understanding into a final agreement.