President Donald Trump said he will be involved “indirectly” in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, as both sides resume diplomacy against a backdrop of military pressure and deep mistrust.
Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One on Monday (16 February), Trump described the upcoming round of negotiations as significant and suggested Tehran is motivated to reach an agreement.
“I'll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they'll be very important,” he said. "I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal."
The meeting will take place at the Embassy of Oman in Geneva under Omani mediation. It follows an earlier round of indirect discussions in Muscat on 6 February, which both sides characterised as constructive. Those contacts marked the resumption of diplomacy after negotiations were suspended in 2025 following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets that escalated into a 12-day conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Monday ahead of the second round, saying he was seeking “a fair and equitable deal.”
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”
Araghchi also met International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, describing expectations of a “deep technical discussion.” The IAEA has called on Iran to clarify the status of approximately 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and to restore full access to facilities including Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan that were struck during last year’s conflict.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Washington’s position had moved “towards a more realistic one” and indicated the IAEA would play an important role in the mediated talks, while criticising Grossi for not condemning the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
In an interview with the BBC in Tehran, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said responsibility now lay with Washington.
“The ball is in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal,” he said. “If they are sincere, I'm sure we will be on the road to an agreement.”
Takht-Ravanchi confirmed that the Muscat discussions had been “more or less in a positive direction but it is too early to judge.” Trump has also described those earlier talks as positive.
He pointed to Tehran’s proposal to dilute uranium enriched to 60% purity as evidence of willingness to compromise. Uranium enriched to that level is close to weapons-grade, raising Western concerns, although Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon.
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our programme if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. Asked whether Iran would agree to transfer its stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium abroad, he said it was “too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations.”
The diplomatic effort unfolds amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the region. Trump has threatened military strikes if Iran does not agree to curb its nuclear programme and on Friday voiced support for regime change, calling it the “best thing” for Iran.
The Pentagon has increased its naval presence in the Middle East, including deploying an additional aircraft carrier and accompanying warships, while officials have indicated contingency planning is underway should talks fail.
On Monday, a day before the Geneva round was set to begin, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy conducted live exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. The drills were described as addressing “potential security and military threats.”
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow but strategically vital waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and serves as a key shipping lane for global oil and gas supplies. Analysts have said the exercises appear intended to signal Iran’s ability to disrupt maritime traffic if tensions escalate. Tehran has repeatedly warned it could close the strait in response to an attack.
At the centre of the negotiations remains uranium enrichment. Washington has demanded that Iran cease enrichment on its territory and transfer its highly enriched uranium abroad. The United States has also sought to broaden the scope of talks to include Iran’s ballistic missile programme and regional activities.
Tehran maintains it will negotiate only restrictions on its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief and has ruled out discussing missile capabilities. Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected ending enrichment entirely.
Speaking during a visit to Hungary on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said diplomacy should be pursued but warned that reaching an agreement would be challenging.
“I think that there’s an opportunity here to diplomatically reach an agreement that addresses the things we’re concerned about. We’ll be very open and welcoming to that. But I don’t want to overstate it either,” Rubio said at a press conference in Budapest.
“It’s going to be hard. It’s been very difficult for anyone to do real deals with Iran, because we’re dealing with radical Shia clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones,” he added, saying that no one has ever made a deal with Iran and that the United States is trying to do so.
The Geneva round is widely seen as a critical test of whether renewed indirect engagement can narrow long-standing differences between Washington and Tehran or whether tensions will intensify further.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would not assist Australian families of suspected Islamic State (IS) militants return h...
President Donald Trump said he will be involved “indirectly” in nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran scheduled for Tuesday in G...
The Pentagon has threatened to designate artificial intelligence firm Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” amid a dispute over the military use of i...
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to meet in Geneva for a third round of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the ne...
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed two people in the past 12 hours, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday....
The Pentagon has threatened to designate artificial intelligence firm Anthropic as a “supply chain risk” amid a dispute over the military use of its Claude AI model, according to a report published Monday.
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to meet in Geneva for a third round of trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year war, even as both sides intensify military pressure on the ground.
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed two people in the past 12 hours, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced on 16 February that the Honourable Janice Charette has been appointed as the next Chief Trade Negotiator to the United States. She's been tasked with overseeing the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Cuba’s fuel crisis has turned into a waste crisis, with rubbish piling up on most street corners in Havana as many collection trucks lack enough petrol to operate.
Norway is holding a commanding lead in the medal standings with 12 golds and a total of 26, with Italy having an historic performance on home soil on the ninth day of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday (15 February).
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.
Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed two people in the past 12 hours, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned on Monday that what he described as “illegal” Israeli measures in the occupied West Bank risk undermining de-escalation efforts and inflaming regional tensions.
Ankara has condemned an Israeli plan to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as state property, a move widely criticised internationally and described by the UN and the International Court of Justice as inconsistent with international law governing occupied territories.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has moved swiftly to consolidate his authority following the dismissal of his long-time ally Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Monday ahead of a second round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States, according to Iranian state media.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment