WASHINGTON (MCT) — The United States, the European Union, China and Russia have agreed to resume long-stalled talks with Iran on its disputed nuclear program, potentially reviving the quest for a diplomatic settlement and easing fears of a military confrontation, the EU and the United States announced Tuesday.

Iran appeared to reciprocate, dropping a refusal to allow U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into a military complex suspected of being involved in what the United States, the EU, Israel and other powers charge is a secret nuclear weapons program. Iran says that its program is for peaceful uses.