Iran and the United States will resume indirect negotiations next week in Geneva, following initial talks in Oman on 6 February.
Disagreements persist over the scope of any agreement, with Washington demanding zero enrichment and Israel urging inclusion of Iran’s missile programme and support for proxy groups.
Iran, US to Hold Second Round of Nuclear Talks as Tensions Simmer
Trump warned that failure to reach a deal would be "very traumatic" and has reinforced the US military presence in the Middle East, while Iran insists it will not forgo uranium enrichment.
Summary
Iran and the United States are set to hold a second round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme next week, Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
Oman, which facilitated the first round of indirect discussions on 6 February, will host the upcoming talks in Geneva, according to the Swiss ministry, which did not specify the dates.
Following the initial meeting, US President Donald Trump cautioned Tehran that failing to reach an agreement with his administration would be "very traumatic."
A similar diplomatic effort last year collapsed in June after Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran, during which the United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump has repeatedly threatened military action to pressure Tehran into limiting its nuclear activities, while Iran has warned it would retaliate with force. He has also criticised Iran over its deadly crackdown on recent nationwide protests.
Gulf Arab states have warned that any attack could trigger a broader regional conflict.
On Friday, Trump said the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — was being redeployed from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join other US military assets in the region. He also remarked that a change in leadership in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen."
The 6 February indirect talks were held between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. For the first time, the top US military commander in the region also attended.
The Trump administration has insisted that any agreement must prohibit Iran from enriching uranium. Tehran has rejected that condition.
Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes, though officials have increasingly raised the prospect of pursuing nuclear weapons. Before the June conflict, Iran had enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that the country is "ready for any kind of verification." However, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has for months been unable to inspect and verify Iran’s nuclear stockpiles.
In recent weeks, Trump has indicated that scaling back Iran’s nuclear programme is his primary objective. Tehran, for its part, has said the negotiations should focus exclusively on nuclear issues.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met Trump in Washington this week, has urged that any agreement also address Iran’s ballistic missile programme and halt its support for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
(inputs from AP)
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