Peace talks kicked off in Switzerland this week, but Iran’s already drawing a red line, no UN inspectors allowed near its bombed nuclear sites.

So, here’s where things stand. Iran said on Tuesday it won’t be letting the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, anywhere near the nuclear sites that were hit by US and Israeli strikes last year. That’s despite the first round of talks aimed at ending the wider Middle East war wrapping up in Switzerland, cbinewstv reports.

Tehran and Washington have just signed a memorandum of understanding to end a conflict that’s thrown the region into chaos and rattled the global economy. They’ve now got a 60-day window to hammer out the bigger stuff, Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief.

Diplomacy is in full swing. Iran’s leader is off to Pakistan, which has been mediating. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is touring Gulf allies. And Lebanon and Israel are set for direct talks in Washington.

But there’s already a snag. US Vice President JD Vance claimed Tehran agreed to let IAEA inspectors back in. Iran says nope.

“We have not had a meeting with the director general of the IAEA, nor do we have any plans for the agency to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged by the US and Zionist military aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press briefing.

President Trump then jumped in on social media, saying: “Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future.”

Iran’s UN ambassador Ali Bahreini pushed back again on Tuesday, telling reporters “there hasn’t been such a decision” to accept IAEA inspectors.

Back in mid-2025, the US joined Israel’s war with Iran and bombed key sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, even using bunker-busting bombs. Trump claimed they were “obliterated”, but honestly, no one’s quite sure how bad the damage really is.

Meanwhile, Tehran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned the Strait of Hormuz “will never return” to pre-war free passage. Still, both sides have agreed to set up communication lines to keep it open. Maritime firm Kpler said 35 commodity carriers passed through on Monday — a record since the war began.

Oman and Iran added they’ll review how the trade route is run and what fees are charged, stressing their sovereignty over the waterway.

Rubio’s next stops are the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain, all three were attacked by Iran during the war. He’ll be talking Tehran and the Hormuz situation. As a known Iran hawk, people will be watching his comments closely. Up to now, Vance has been the one fronting the deal.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is in Pakistan with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The pair also met Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, who said he’s hoping for “a peaceful, definitive settlement”.

The Switzerland talks, held at the Burgenstock resort, have raised hopes and even nudged oil prices down. Pakistan and Qatar say both sides agreed on a “roadmap” to get a final deal within 60 days. Four negotiating groups are being set up: nuclear issues, sanctions, and other matters, according to Iranian state media.

The US Treasury has temporarily lifted some sanctions so Iran can produce and sell crude until mid-August. Washington also agreed to release $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds, Iranian state media says. Vance countered that no assets have been unfrozen yet, and if they are, they won’t fund terrorism. Iran’s Bahreini said only Tehran will decide what happens to its money.

Over in Washington, a fifth round of Lebanon-Israel talks is due to start Tuesday, aiming to end the Israel-Hezbollah conflict for good. Fighting since March 2 has threatened to derail peace efforts more than once. A US State Department official told AFP the goal is “to end the cycle of violence for good” between two countries that still don’t have diplomatic ties.

Still, tensions remain. Despite a new ceasefire in Lebanon, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two people in the south on Tuesday near an excavator clearing a road, state media reported. Hezbollah called it a “blatant violation” of the truce.

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