Iran is pursuing a nuclear agreement with the U.S. that delivers economic benefits for both sides, an Iranian diplomat was reported as saying on Sunday (15 February), days before a second round of talks between Tehran and Washington.
Iran and the U.S. renewed negotiations earlier this month to tackle their decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme and avert a new military confrontation.
The U.S. said it has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region and is preparing for the possibility of a sustained military campaign if the talks do not succeed, U.S. officials have told Reuters.
"For the sake of an agreement's durability, it is essential that the U.S. also benefits in areas with high and quick economic returns," Iranian Foreign Ministry Deputy Director for Economic Diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Iran has threatened retaliation against any U.S. attack but the official struck a conciliatory note on Sunday.
"Common interests in the oil and gas fields, joint fields, mining investments, and even aircraft purchases are included in the negotiations," Ghanbari said, arguing that the 2015 nuclear pact with world powers had not secured U.S. economic interests.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at a news conference in Bratislava on Sunday (15 February), said President Donald Trump had made it clear that he would prefer diplomacy and a negotiated settlement.
"No one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran but we're going to try," Rubio said.
In 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the pact that had eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, and re-applied tough economic sanctions on Tehran.
On Friday, a source told Reuters that a U.S. delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday (17 February), a meeting later confirmed to Reuters by a senior Iranian official on Sunday.
"Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be travelling, I think they are travelling right now, to have important meetings and we'll see how that turns out," Rubio said, without providing further details.
Open to compromise
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi signalled Iran's readiness to compromise on its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, telling the BBC on Sunday that the ball was "in America's court to prove that they want to do a deal."
The senior official referred to the Iranian atomic chief's statement on Monday that the country could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for the lifting of sanctions as an example of Iran's flexibility.
However, he reiterated that Tehran would not accept zero uranium enrichment, a key sticking point in past negotiations, with Washington viewing enrichment inside Iran as a potential pathway to nuclear weapons.
Iran denies seeking such weapons.
U.S. President Donald Trump received a lavish welcome in Beijing on Wednesday as he ...
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he le...
By the time American shoppers began noticing higher prices on everything from trainers to televisions, the worl...
Just one week after a similar move by Australia, Greece announced that it will ban access to social m...
TUI has reported sustained demand for holidays despite the Iran war, as the world&rs...
TUI has reported sustained demand for holidays despite the Iran war, as the world’s biggest travel company posted lower-than-expected quarterly losses and said bookings for the second half of the year remained strong.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet in Beijing on 14–15 May 2026 for a high-stakes summit aimed at managing rising tensions over trade, technology, Taiwan and the Iran conflict.
Azerbaijan’s Eurovision team are confident singer Jiva will secure a place in the contest’s final after performing in the second semi-final in Vienna on Thursday evening (14 May).
Divisions over the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran are set to overshadow a two-day meeting of the BRICS group of emerging economies in the Indian capital New Delhi on Thursday (14 May).
Kuwait arrested four members of an IRGC-linked group as they tried to enter the country by sea, the Gulf state's KUNA news agency reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a senior IRGC officer said Iran had expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz to include a far wider area.
Biological samples from an Italian man were transferred to a specialist hospital for testing on Tuesday, after he was suspected of contracting hantavirus. Meanwhile, World Health Organization boss Tedros Ghebreyesus said there were “no sign” of a larger outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise.
Exclusive flight-tracking material obtained by AnewZ has raised new questions about French military aircraft movements linked to President Emmanuel Macron’s recent diplomacy with Armenia and the wider scope of France’s defence cooperation with Yerevan.
Just one week after a similar move by Australia, Greece announced that it will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 from January 1, 2027, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran as he left for a high-stakes summit in Beijing on Tuesday, as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.
This is the third and final article in AnewZ’s series examining the fight for access to treatment for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Georgia, and the irreversible human cost of delay.
Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been banned for 11 years after an anti-doping probe uncovered sample swapping in the national team. Several other players and the Georgian Rugby Union were also sanctioned
AnewZ has premiered its new investigative documentary, Shadow of the Cross, examining the power, history and contested role of one of the world’s most recognised humanitarian symbols.
Uzbekistan Energy Week 2026 has opened in Tashkent, bringing together international energy companies, government officials and industry experts to discuss energy security, technological transformation and regional cooperation.
Japan’s first import of crude oil from Azerbaijan has highlighted the country’s energy vulnerability and renewed efforts to diversify supply chains beyond the Middle East, according to Professor Sejiro Takeshita of the University of Shizuoka.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment