Iran signals readiness to take all necessary steps for a deal with the U.S.

Iran is prepared to take any necessary steps to secure a deal with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday (24 February), as the two countries prepare for a fresh round of negotiations in Geneva.

The talks are scheduled for Thursday, according to a senior U.S. official, who said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet an Iranian delegation.

Negotiations resumed earlier this month amid a U.S. military build-up in the Middle East. Tehran has warned it would strike U.S. bases in the region if it were attacked.

"We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We will do whatever it takes to make this happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete honesty and good faith," Takht-Ravanchi said in comments carried by state media.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s preferred option was diplomacy, but that he was prepared to use lethal force if necessary.

Retaliation if necessary 

"If there is an attack or aggression against Iran, we will respond according to our defence plans... A U.S. attack on Iran is a real gamble," Takht-Ravanchi added.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran would consider sending half of its most highly enriched uranium abroad and diluting the rest.

The official also said Iran could take part in the creation of a regional enrichment consortium, an idea raised in past Iran-linked diplomatic efforts.

Iran would do this in return for U.S. recognition of Iran's right to "peaceful nuclear enrichment" under a deal that would also include lifting economic sanctions, the official said.

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Indirect talks between the two sides last year failed to produce an agreement, largely due to friction over a U.S. demand that Iran abandon uranium enrichment on its own soil - a process Washington views as a potential pathway to developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has consistently denied seeking such weapons.

The U.S. joined Israel in hitting Iranian nuclear sites last June, significantly curtailing Iran's uranium enrichment, with Trump saying its key nuclear sites were "obliterated."

Hoever, Iran is still believed to possess previously enriched stockpiles, which Washington wants it to relinquish.

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U.S. Iran negotiations Geneva talks Middle East diplomacy nuclear enrichment iran sanctions Trump foreign policy Iranian uranium