Iran, U.S. wrap up nuclear talks in Geneva, to meet within a week in Vienna

Iranian and U.S. negotiators concluded the third round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva mediated by the Sultanate of Oman in an attempt to resolve their long-standing dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme which is dramatically spiralling towards a military escalation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian delegation and the U.S. team was headed by Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner who joined the renewed talks after they were disrupted by Israel-U.S. invasion last June.

Iran’s top diplomat said that the next round of nuclear talks is expected in less than a week after what he described as “a progress in the most serious exchanges” between Tehran and Washington.

"Of course, there are still differences of opinion, which is natural. But compared to the past, more seriousness is observed on both sides to reach a negotiated solution," he told reporters after the meeting.

"It was agreed that from Monday, technical teams in Vienna and at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will begin expert reviews so that technical issues can be sorted within a specific framework which will adapted to the demands and political considerations of both sides,” state IRNA news agency quoting him.

The Iranian side, he said, laid out its demand for lifting sanctions and the process for their removal and both sides needed to consult with their respective capitals.

“We expressed very clearly our expectations regarding the lifting of sanctions. Consultations should take place in the capitals, and then we will have the fourth round of negotiations next week,” he added.

On the eve of talks, Araghchi met with mediator Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi on Wednesday reviewing preparations of the talks.

He submitted Iran’s proposal on a nuclear agreement to his Omani counterpart which was relayed to the U.S. side.

Earlier this week in an interview with CBS, he said Tehran was working on core elements of a draft text that includes provisions accommodating the concerns and interests of both sides.

Earlier, he said in a series of posts on social media X that Iran and U.S. “have (an) historic opportunity to strike “as soon as possible an unprecedented, fair and equitable deal”.

Prior to his departure to Geneva, he stressed in an interview with India Today TV, that “Iran is ready for both war and peace” to safeguard its right to civilian nuclear programme under the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

He was referring to Washington’s military buildup in the region to pressure Tehran to a deal or face the risks of another U.S. invasion after it bombed Iran’s nuclear sites last June during a 12-day war.

Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi who spoke with Araghchi by phone this week participated in the Geneva talks.

Grossi has said previously that an “obvious gap” exists between Iran and U.S. over uranium enrichment.

U.S. officials demand “zero enrichment” but the Iranian side regards this as a “red line” for the country and an inherent and non-negotiable right under NPT.

“Uranium enrichment is a matter of dignity and pride and we will not abandon it. Iran is a member of NPT and has every right to enjoy peaceful nuclear energy including enrichment” Araghchi told CBS.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that there are encouraging signals in the renewed mediated talks between Iran and Washington, stressing unity to overcome the country’s enemies.

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In a meeting with political figures and businessmen during a visit to the Caspian Sea province of Mazandaran on Wednesday, he stated, “We see a promising outlook regarding the talks.”

Last week, he said in a post on X social media that talks with the U.S. have “yielded encouraging signals” stressing Iran’s readiness “for any potential scenario”.

Today’s (26 February) nuclear negotiations in Geneva which followed the 6 February meeting in Oman and 17 February talks in Switzerland were regarded as an historic and decisive opportunity to strike a deal and avert a military standoff.

Iran has vowed that it would retaliate any U.S. attack as an “act of aggression” warning that its backlash will spill over to the region as it will attack U.S. bases and interests in the surrounding countries as “legitimate targets”.

The Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) staged a large-scale combined drill along Iran’s southern coastline on Tuesday with combat and support units taking part.

IRGC commanders described the drill codenamed “Combined Exercise 1404” as an example of how emerging technologies are being incorporated into ground warfare to improve precision, mobility, and coordination on the battlefield.

The wargame was held on the eve of the nuclear talks amid escalation of tensions and speculation of war between Tehran and Washington following the U.S. buildup of military assets in the region.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has strongly warned against U.S. military build-up for a war with Iran and also slammed the U.S. determining outcome of the nuclear negotiations.

"Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea,” he said in a public meeting last week.

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