Tehran signals willingness to discuss nuclear limits and sanctions relief as diplomatic efforts resume under mounting regional tensions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Iran’s foreign minister met Monday with the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog in Geneva, days before a second round of negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), ahead of U.S.-Iran discussions scheduled for Tuesday in Switzerland. Araghchi also said he would meet with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi. Oman previously hosted indirect talks between the two countries on Feb. 6.
“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.”
The meeting with Grossi marks a notable development after Iran suspended full cooperation with the IAEA following its June conflict with Israel. While Iran has permitted limited access to certain nuclear facilities that were not damaged during the fighting, inspectors have not been allowed to visit other sites. The agency has said it cannot verify the current status of Iran’s near weapons-grade uranium stockpile since the conflict.
On Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi indicated Tehran could consider compromise but emphasized the need for sanctions relief.
“The ball is in America’s court. They have to prove they want to have a deal with us,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. “If we see a sincerity on their part, I am sure that we will be on a road to have an agreement.”
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program provided that they are also ready to talk about the sanctions,” he added.
The Trump administration has maintained that any agreement must prohibit Iran from enriching uranium. Tehran has rejected that condition, insisting its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Before the June war with Israel, Iran had enriched uranium up to 60 percent purity, a level just below weapons-grade.
Grossi previously told The Associated Press that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent could theoretically allow the country to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs if it chose to weaponize the material, though he emphasized that this does not mean Iran has such weapons.
Diplomatic efforts resume amid heightened military signaling. President Donald Trump said Friday that the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is being redeployed from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join other U.S. assets in the region. Trump had earlier threatened military action following Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests last month but has since pivoted toward a pressure campaign aimed at securing a new nuclear agreement.
Iran has warned that it would respond if attacked by the United States.
The Geneva talks coincide with other diplomatic meetings in Switzerland. The United States is also hosting discussions between Russian and Ukrainian envoys on Tuesday and Wednesday, just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Previous U.S.-Iran negotiations collapsed after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day conflict that included U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington last week to urge Trump to ensure that any new agreement addresses Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for regional proxy groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
As negotiators prepare for the next round of talks, key differences remain over uranium enrichment, sanctions relief and verification measures, leaving the trajectory of the renewed diplomatic effort uncertain.
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