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.
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An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
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A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of August, covering the latest developments.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Uzbekistan has secured preferential tariffs for fertiliser and petroleum product shipments through Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port to Georgian ports, as Uzbek cargo volumes across the Caspian continue to rise.
Police in eastern India used tear gas, batons and water cannon on Monday to disperse thousands of young protesters marching on the Jharkhand state legislature over alleged irregularities in civil service examinations.
Rising temperatures are threatening Georgia’s farms, energy supply and banking sector, with experts warning that the country has a narrow window to prepare before the economic costs grow significantly.
Pakistan is seeking to strengthen its energy security through a proposed Gulf oil storage scheme, $5 billion in refinery upgrades and renewed offshore exploration with Türkiye as global supply disruptions expose its reliance on imports.
Syria and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding on the future of Russian bases at Tartous and Hmeimim after 18 months of negotiations, the Syrian foreign ministry said on Sunday.
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