Iran and the United States moved cautiously closer to a potential nuclear agreement on Tuesday following a second round of indirect talks in Geneva, where both sides reportedly agreed on general guiding principles for the path ahead. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi described the session as a meaningful improvement over the first meeting held on February 6.
The discussions, conducted through Omani intermediaries, revolved around several technically complex and politically charged questions, including the future of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, the size and purity of its uranium stockpile, and the mechanisms by which the IAEA might verify any agreed-upon constraints. A follow-up meeting was expected within a fortnight.
Iran’s delegation focused on presenting what it characterized as a substantive package of offers: diluting its 40-kilogram stockpile of 60% enriched uranium, allowing greater IAEA access to damaged nuclear facilities, and exploring a temporary suspension of enrichment activities — though the duration of any such suspension remained a point of contention given the damage caused by US bombing.
The US side did not comment publicly following the talks, but American demands reportedly centered on Iran completely halting domestic uranium enrichment — a condition Tehran has categorically refused. Iran’s position was that it would accept tight supervision and verification but not the surrender of its sovereign right to a civilian nuclear programme.
The day was marked by contradictions: diplomatic progress in Geneva unfolded alongside military posturing in the Gulf, as Khamenei issued threatening remarks toward US warships and Iran announced naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz. At home, mass mourning ceremonies for protest victims and thousands of ongoing trials cast a long shadow over any sense of political normalcy.
Iran-US Talks: Geneva Session Ends With Promise of Further Negotiations on Nuclear Future
Date:
